


Humanamente Amar

by RushAndTomatoJuice



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Blasphemy, But kind of, Chloe KNOWS, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/M, First Christmas, Fluff, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Jesus - Freeform, Lucifer's first Christmas, Not really a slow burn, also, everyone knows, hot take on the bible, late season 2/early season 3, the devil secretly cares about children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28227087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RushAndTomatoJuice/pseuds/RushAndTomatoJuice
Summary: It had all started with a tree.Boxes and boxes of baubles stacked the living room, tinsels and tree topers and fake snow – which was completely mad, they lived in Los Angeles for Dad’s sake – and even tree skirts – ??? – were piled high on the couch. Ugly sweaters and the child clad in terribly designed reindeer pajamas had also made an appearance somewhere along the night, setting the tone of his holiday nightmare.Which, even Lucifer had to admit, had gotten out of control.
Relationships: Chloe Decker & Lucifer Morningstar, Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Lucifer & Jesus, Trixie Espinoza & Lucifer Morningstar
Comments: 49
Kudos: 129
Collections: Lucifer (TV) Foxy's Collection of Sweetness, Lucifer (TV) Seasons Collection





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> TITLE TRANSLATION: Humanly Love
> 
> Title comes from a poem by Brazilian author Olavo Bilac which you can find translated here!
> 
> "To the heart that suffers, separated  
> From yours, in exile in which I see myself crying,  
> Simple and sacred affection is not enough  
> With which from misfortunes I protect myself.
> 
> It is not enough for me to know that I am loved,  
> I don't just want your love: I want  
> To hold in my arms your delicate body,  
> To have in my mouth the sweetness of your kiss.
> 
> And the just ambitions that consume me  
> Do not shame me: for greater lowness  
> There isn’t than trading the earth for the sky;
> 
> And greater elevates a man's heart  
> Forever be a man and, in the purest purity,  
> Stay on earth and **humanly love**."
> 
> this has not been betaed. all mistakes are my own.
> 
> disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot

Saturday, December 5th 

Lucifer had to say, despite it being an exceptionally weird tradition, it was, indeed, utterly _delightful_.

He’d always preferred modern luxuries himself. Central heating, electricity, plumbing… the internet, tight clothes, really fast cars… Buildings so high in the sky he could almost pretend he was back in Heaven…

But all this progress… sometime along the years, Humanity had evolved away from nature. They had left lush forests and green pastures and rich valleys for concrete jungles and arid lands. Even in most green cities nowadays, every park still smelled of pollution, and even on deserted beaches it was still possible to hear the traffic.

On the other hand, this Christmas tree farm – or whatever it was the Detective had called it, anyway – reminded him of what he had liked the most about ancient human civilizations. The value they had had in nature, the pride they had basked on over their struggling mastery of green wildlife, cultivating the most colorful flowers and aromatic trees in beautiful gardens.

Babylon had been exceptionally beautiful, as had Judea. Before progress and dominion had sunk their claws on whatever was beautiful in the world.

Now, Earth was too loud, and Lucifer was usually okay with that.

Electricity and plumbing came with a price, and the quiet meant he had nothing but space for his thoughts to consume him. But XVIII century progress just never caught a break. It was always there, on every single second of every single day, to remind him of its existence. Be it in the incessant buzz of the modern world outside, or the way the machines had polluted away his stars from the open sky.

Lucifer took in a deep, calming breath. For once, he smelled _clean_. No smoke, no pollution. _No brimstone_. 

He’d always known the stench of Hell would follow him for the rest of his immortal life, clinging to him until the day he’d choke on it. It gave him way too realistic nightmares some nights that always had him waking up in panic, clawing at his throat trying to breathe.

But this pine tree farm in the middle of nowhere, Los Angeles, smelled… clean and fresh… and _alive_. Lucifer hadn’t smelled such things in a long, long time. And so out in the back as he was, it was almost quiet. The type of quiet that was restful, that banished the screams of the damned away from his mind and allowed him to just be and enjoy.

He exhaled, satisfied.

“Beatrice!” Lucifer yelled, turning around and finally opening his eyes. A small dark head, quickly joined by a regular sized blonde one, peeked out from behind one of the many rows of trees on the far end. “I think I found the one.”

Excited yells cut through the crispy morning air as the child ran to him. Lucifer gulped down, mentally preparing himself for the attack. At least he hadn’t seen anything particularly sticky that could ruin yet another one of his suits passing by her hands that morning.

Being around the Detective constantly had really put a considerable dent in his wardrobe. His tailor had yet to let him live it through.

Lucifer mentally ran over the child’s list of must haves for a Christmas tree – which had featured a _‘it has to look like a Christmas tree, duh’_ that still buggered his mind – once again, before deciding he’d done okay on that front.

_It has to be really tall, but not tall enough that mommy can’t reach the top. And it has to be really rounded and have a lot of low branches that I can reach. And it has to be pretty and really green. And really big. Like a Christmas tree._

His thoughts were cut short when the child barreled onto his legs, making him take a balancing step to the side. She let out particularly loud squeals that made Lucifer panic, especially when she started to jump up and down while still attached to him.

He gulped down, turning his terrified eyes to the Detective, hoping to make her walk faster and put an end to his misery, but all it did was make her smile and slow down. It almost – _almost_ – made him smile in return.

Almost.

“Look, mommy. It’s perfect!” The child exclaimed, finally freeing him in order to attach herself to the Detective. And Lucifer would deny until the end of times how her approval made his heart flutter for a second.

The Detective’s laughter filled the air, her smile bright like the sun that shined upon her golden hair. Her eyes scanned the tree up and down before settling on him, their blue clearer than the winter sky.

“Yeah, monkey, I agree.” She conceded, her smile a bit sloppy on the edges as she contemplated the tiny version of herself currently attached to her person. Their similarities always had a way of catching Lucifer off guard, always making him take a second longer to process the brown eyes that shined with glee instead of the blue ones he’d grown so familiar to.

Lucifer let out a sigh he hadn’t realized he was holding, a proud smile blossoming on his lips, glad he had passed some unspoken test. Even if he consciously knew there wasn’t one, he’d always had this hidden urge to please his Detective. Anything that would make her smile at him like she was in that moment, bright and carefree and content.

“I’ll get the axe guy!” The child squealed and ran off before the Detective had a chance to protest, her hand reaching out to grab her spawn but coming up empty.

Lucifer let out a snort as he watched the urchin skipping away, her ponytails bouncing around as she went. The child’s joy at such a strange tradition was the last clue he needed to join the dots in his mind. After that, it all became clear.

“Is this why you decide to slaughter trees every year?” He asked, a strange smile taking over his features as he watched the child excitedly running away. Lucifer barely managed to catch himself before he could make a fool of himself and show… _care_ for the spawn of all humans.

“What?” The Detective asked, her tone sounding far away from herself. She seemed lost in the image of her child and her excitement, both joyful and somewhat sad at the same time.

That was something he’d come to understand better, the longing in her gaze – all thanks to the good Doctor, of course. Beatrice was still so small that Lucifer didn’t realize it often, but when it struck him, it always struck him hard. It often happened when she tortured him with her hugs, her head peaking now over his waist. 

That tangent, unignorable evidence of time passing always left him disturbed. He could barely believe it’d been eight years since he moved topside already, three years since he’d met the Detective. Logically, he knew he’d get to keep her for years and years still, but on most days, it was easy to forget how quickly time passed him by. 

He was always constant, forever the same, and so far, his Detective hadn’t changed. 

Much, that was. A couple more laugh lines wrinkled around her eyes, a single white hair that she had bushed off as normal. She still looked the same, which was why it was easy for him to overlook that small detail, that she would age and grow old and eventually leave him, and he would still be there, left behind, stuck in time, wishing for days long past.

“Because it makes the child happy.” Lucifer explained, glad to have the Detective’s eyes back on him and his mind free of thoughts of inevitable futures he’d rather not think of and children he didn’t even like, no matter what Doctor Martin said, thank you very much.

“Lots of things make her happy. Chocolate cake, beach days, _hugging you_.” The Detective quipped back, her eyes gleaming as her smile stretched up, but Lucifer couldn’t fault her for her humor, even if he was at that punchline. He’d take anything that would make her smile at him like that.

“Yes, no need to remind me of that.” He rushed to add, forgetting for a second how he was supposed to hate being hugged by the child, too lost in her eyes for that. His hands started to straighten any wrinkles on his suit before he even thought of it, the motion almost instinctual by then.

“It’s part of the tradition, I guess. Picking out a tree.”

“But isn’t a plastic tree preferable?” He asked. Despite being on Earth for so long now and watching firsthand as humanity evolved, some of the more… _human_ things still baffled him beyond words. “I give it to you, this smells delightful, but the tree sheds needles, does it not? And I can’t imagine it must stay smelling pleasantly for so long. Do you enjoy watching it die slowly? 

Sure, plastic isn’t always the answer, but at least a fake tree can still be usable the next year, no? So, in the end, it’s more sustainable than committing treeslaughter every year? Think of greenhouse gases, and the fire codes. And what do you do with the corpse after? Do you just… throw it in the trash? I can’t imagine the tree’s been made to sustain LA weather all year even if it manages to survive.”

“I- ugh…” The Detective stuttered; her motions frozen as she stared unblinkingly at him. It was all gone on the next second, though, when she turned to face him fully, already seeming to have reconsidered a plastic tree as his next batch of nonsense as was customary with half the things he said. “Yeah, definitely don’t mention tree slaughter to Trixie.”

“Surely she’s old enough to understand now?” Lucifer asked back, watching amusedly as the child hopped on her way back to them with the axe man in tow, their contrast quite striking.

“That we’re killing a living being for our own amusement?” The Detective asked, attracting his eyes to hers.

“Yes, when you put it like that…” Lucifer reconsidered, filing that particular doubt to be discussed with the Doctor at a later date.

Their chatter died down when the child returned and the procedures to remove the tree from its natural state began. He’d tried, Dad knew he had, but Lucifer couldn’t quite get their discussion out of his mind. At least he waited until the poor tree was safely strapped to the Detective’s compact car and the child was far enough away.

“So, plastic tree?”

Really, the Detective should’ve praised him for keeping it to himself for so long, not smack him in the chest as she rolled her eyes dismissively. But it spurred a smile to take over her features, and that he could never regret.

* * *

Lucifer wasn’t sure how, only hours later, he’d gotten caught up on decorating the corpse of the tree.

Carrying it inside had been easy enough. His devilish strength did come in handy sometimes but holding it up as the Detective righted the stand had been another matter entirely. It took her too bloody long to right the bloody thing to begin with – which wouldn’t have been a problem for him under different circumstances, and it did give him a privileged position to watch his Detective working.

But after a while the leaves had started to bother him. They itched and poked him, and then the tree was leaning slightly to this side, then to that, then to this one again… until the both of them had had enough and admitted defeat to a bloody tree.

Christmas preparations and the Detective actively avoiding talking about a plastic tree had led to a quiet afternoon that had been everything Lucifer needed. Hours had been dragging into days lately, and case after case, they’d barely had a minute to themselves. 

Only five days into the month and Christmas decorations were already up all over the city and into their faces, which, in Lucifer’s opinion, completely justified the increase in crime rates around this time of the year. Honestly, they should’ve known better.

At the precinct, for instance, Ms. Lopez had completely outdone herself. Tinsels and cut out Santas filled the bullpen, tiny plastic trees milled around like a scarcely populated forest, and several bouts of mistletoe had been hung in every doorstep and every hallway and every entrance – which, unfortunately, had required his help, being the only one that could reach said places – which, _fortunately_ , gave Lucifer a pretty accurate knowledge of where every opportunity was, if only now he could just lead the Detective under one of those…

So far, no such luck, but the month had just now begun, and Lucifer was optimistic.

Talks of Christmas had evolved into searching the apartment for decorations long stored away which had had him bailing out with excuses of making dinner as his girls hunted and organized all they needed.

Which, even Lucifer had to admit, had gotten out of control. 

Boxes and boxes of baubles stacked the living room, tinsels and tree topers and fake snow – which was completely mad, they lived in Los Angeles for Dad’s sake – and even tree skirts – ??? – were piled high on the couch. Ugly sweaters and the child clad in terribly designed reindeer pajamas had also made an appearance somewhere along the night, setting the tone of his holiday nightmare.

For most part, Lucifer had been content to simply watch, save for decorating under heavy instructions some of the higher branches even the Detective couldn’t reach. He was almost sure that had been just an excuse for her to watch as he stretched. Only problem was he had yet to catch her doing so…

But something had shifted between them lately. Glances had turned softer, touches had lingered for longer, moments had been more frequent and more intimate, and walls had started to come down. They’d gotten close again, closer than before, and Lucifer was trying to do it right this time.

He hadn’t even commented when he’d caught the Detective watching him carrying the tree inside not as secretively as she thought she was being, which was a step forward all on its own.

He wasn’t ready to mess this up yet, so he was on board with them taking their time to grow closer, letting it happen as it may.

The Detective handed him the fairy lights when they were done with the trinkets, a clever comment about him bringing the light falling from her lips that had filled him with amusement. Lucifer smiled as he worked on wrapping the dead tree in lights, warmth spreading through his being with the feeling of her eyes on him.

That was how Lucifer found himself moving the couch over so the three of them could sit and watch as the tree twinkled in the chilly dark with colorful lights, admiring their work. He had to give it to the Detective, despite not understanding what all the societal bout of lunacy was about, Christmas preparations so far had been delightful.

Lucifer had been strangely taken observing the lights when the Spawn abandoned any pretense and messily climbed her way onto the Detective’s lap, leaning back into her in a way that made the Detective lean into him in turn, and it made his heart flutter. With them, he finally felt like he belonged, that after years and years of searching, he’d found a home where he was welcome.

Lucifer could almost swear he’d seen the child smiling at him, a knowing look in her eyes, and he promised himself he’d repay her for it later.

It was only when the Spawn was fast asleep and the Detective had had to get up and put her to bed that it became impossible to resist this gut wrenching need to move that had been growing inside him all night. So, he didn’t.

Lucifer got up and promptly laid on the floor with his head beneath the Christmas tree, not a single thought about ruining his suit even crossing his mind. All he could think about was how the lights twinkled into life above his eyes, beautiful and colorful and magical like the LA sky wasn’t anymore.

The pine tree above him smelled delightful and Lucifer felt at peace.

“What are you doing down there?” The Detective asked, suddenly back in the room, disbelief and amusement coloring her tone in that way that was familiar to her whenever he was concerned.

Lucifer, for once, simply chose to pat the spot next to him on the floor in a silent invitation.

His heart fluttered as her steps neared the tree, and he was pleasantly surprised when the Detective joined him, crawling under the tree to lay by his side. Her arm pressed into his, warm and comforting. Her head laid so close to his, that when Lucifer turned to watch her, he could feel her breath tinging his skin and he could count the stars prickling her eyes as she gazed back at him.

“It’s a bit like watching the stars, isn’t it?” He said, his voice so low, for her ears alone.

The Detective gave him an amused look, a smile coloring her features beautifully as she turned to look up into the twinkling lights.

“You’re weird.”

His eyes drifted back to the lights with a lazy smirk and his hand reached out to hers. She messily intertwined her fingers with his, and Lucifer felt his heart fluttering. He hadn’t felt this peaceful in forever.

“The good kind, I hope.” He remarked, turning to look at her at the same time she did.

Chloe looked beautiful beneath the tree. The twinkling lights colored her perfectly, bathing her in an ethereal glow. The fresh scent of pine surrounded them, so natural and clean and alive, safekeeping them from the world beyond. It was just the two of them, beneath a tree, under the lights.

He smiled.

“The best kind.” She said, smiling back.

When he looked into her eyes, Lucifer saw stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, I’ve been trying to write a Christmas fic for THREE YEARS. I started this one up in august just to be sure this would be the year I finally wrote a Christmas one, and I have to say, I’m cutting really close with the deadline here XD
> 
> Daily chapters for this one! Finishing up just in time for Christmas day.


	2. Chapter 2

Sunday, December 6th

Differently from the Christmas tree farm, the smell there didn’t make up for it.

But in that moment the night before, beneath the Christmas tree watching the lights, and the Detective laying by his side… Lucifer would’ve agreed to almost anything she asked of him. Anything.

Even going to the local Christmas market the next day with her and the spawn.

It was only when the moment had passed, when Lucifer had left the tree behind and the moment lived on in his heart only, that he realized what exactly he’d agreed to. 

_A festival of germs._

Groups upon groups of tiny sized humans with sticky hands and grabby attitudes. They piled over themselves at the fair, letting out overly excited squeals and pulling along even borer parents. They were loud and invasive, a perfect reconstruction of Lucifer’s own personal Hell loop. Of that, he was sure.

“Hey. You okay?” The Detective’s soft tone broke him out of his spiraling musings, and her hand reached out to brush with his, her side comfortingly pressing into his. “We can go home if you want to.”

Lucifer swallowed dry. On a regular occasion, he wouldn’t have even stepped into such a wretched place, but as it were, he was loathed to cut the day short for the Detective and the Spawn.

He’d seen the all too happy grin breaking out in the child’s face when they’d arrived – a look that resembled the Detective’s so thoroughly that it had made him take pause for a second. Even now, he could still see young Beatrice running around with half a dozen other pocket-sized humans coming along, happy and bright like only the season’s festivities allowed her to be. Or so he was told.

“Nonsense, darling. We just got here.” He exclaimed, shining her a fake cheer and hoping for the best. 

Lucifer wouldn’t even fool himself thinking the Detective couldn’t see past his cheery façade – she’d always been able to strip him bare of pretenses and look at the Devil beneath it all. Lay him so bare not even he recognized himself sometimes. So, he tried for a soft smile instead, small and sincere, and she gave him one back.

“I’ll be alright, darling.” He assured her; voice low enough to be missed by the crowd surrounding them. “I’ve faced much worse than some grabby, sticky hellions, you know. I think I’ll survive.”

The Detective’ laugh filled the minimum space left between them before she pulled him along, her hand reaching out to grab his and not letting it go. She led him to the side of the market where the sane adults were, all the while still managing to keep an eye out for her Spawn, and just that change of scenery allowed him to breathe easier.

A strong scent of spices filled the air, hints of chocolate and orange luring him to the left while freshly baked cinnamon goods lured him to the right. Lucifer closed his eyes and breathed in deep. Maybe the place wasn’t as terrible as he’d thought it to be, after all.

Without all the tiny demons, he could see rows of small wooden cabins turned little shops spread out around the square, filled with lights and warmth and goods. Even the tinsel decorations fitted the scene – if one forgot they actually were in Los Angeles for a second. But the small market with couples and small groups scattered around looked inviting, like a place Lucifer might actually enjoy being in.

“Much better, huh?” The Detective commented, a satisfied smirk lighting up her features at his obvious delight. “Come on.”

She took him to the nearest stand overflowing with candy canes, then to the next one with the freshly baked cinnamon rolls, then to the next with the chocolate sculptures, then to the next and the next and the next, until they were both overflowing with sweets and a shopping bag each.

“Mom! Can we go ice skating, now? Please? Please, please, please?” The child’s exclaimed desires shattered Lucifer’s quiet retreat when she found them later on, out of breath and with a smile so big in her face he wasn’t sure was naturally achievable. Her eyes turned big and round and she clung to the Detective, begging. 

The puppy eyes, he recognized. Lucifer had to give it to the child, he was impressed she’d mastered such manipulating skill at such a young age, but she still had a long way to go if she wanted to achieve perfection. There was no chance those would work on him, for example. None at all.

“Of course, monkey.” The Detective agreed to Beatrice’s utter delight.

The child took off the next second while he and the Detective followed at a moderate pace, which allowed for his distress to settle in. Even at a distance it was easy enough to spot the place swarming with offspring clinging to each other and their unfortunate parents and bumping into everything in their way.

Lucifer swallowed dry as they approached the dreadful place, apprehension growing with each step. Deep in his horror, he barely missed as the Detective left his side only to return a few minutes later with three pairs of boots of different sizes and push him to sit at one of the benches.

“Here, I hope these fit. It’s the biggest one they have.” She handed him the boots and sat down on the bench beside him to change her shoes.

“What? Do you honestly expect me to use ‘community boots’? And how am I supposed to stand on these?” He asked, finally breaking out of his stupor when he noticed the thin metal blades attached to the soles.

“You’ve _never_ been ice skating?” The child asked in queue, completely horrified. 

“Why would I? It’s not like I enjoy the cold.”

Even sitting outside the rink, Lucifer could still feel the decrease in air temperature, the slight chill creeping through the many layers of his suit. There was a reason he’d chosen Los Angeles – that was completely unrelated to the irony in the name – where even the coldest of days was still hot enough to bear.

“Mommy!” The child looked entirely too crestfallen at his words, her eyes big and round for a different reason this time. “You have to teach him how to skate, now!”

“What? Absolutely not. There’s no bloody way I’m going in there.”

“Please, Lucifer? Pretty please?” The child begged him this time, clinging to him like she’d clung to her mother earlier. Puppy dog eyes stared at him, big and round, and they made Lucifer reassess his early judgement of the child’s skill.

It seemed Beatrice’s kicked puppy look was skilled enough to even sway something inside the Devil himself. Just not enough to convince him to change his mind.

“No.”

“Why not? Are you afraid you’re going to fall?” 

Yes, as a matter of fact he was. He’d fallen before, and it had not been pleasant.

“Don’t worry, mommy will catch you if you do.” Beatrice told him in a soft tone that reminded him of the Detective, the sight of her small hand patting his shifting something not entirely unpleasant inside him.

“See, it’s easy.” She said before she ran away to enter the ring. The child skated in front of him for a couple spins before she slid away, already mingling with the other spawn that filled the ice.

Lucifer swallowed dry. The thought alone of braving through a crowd of bumpy, careless small humans in slippery ground was terrifying all on itself, but falling into the ice…

If there was one thing Lucifer hated almost as much as falling was the cold. The freezing feeling seeping into his bones, the chilly ache that stuck to the burns of his true face, the agonizing feeling of sensing his burning hellfire dimming into embers.

Not to mention falling on that ice would ruin his Armani! The brand-new one he’d chosen to wear for his little outing with the Detective, nonetheless.

“You don’t have to skate just because she wants you to, you know.” The Detective’s soft timbre broke through his mental ramblings.

Lucifer felt the warmth of her hand seeping through his jacket as she touched his forearm, and the concerned understanding that shone through her eyes. 

He honestly considered taking her offer. He almost did.

The caring warmth she exuded surrounded him and filled him and banished the cold away from his soul for a full minute, but in a second she’d be off, and her heat would go with her, leaving Lucifer cold and behind if he didn’t follow.

He was the bloody Devil, for crying out loud. What would be of him if he was defeated by a bloody pair of boots, anyway?

“Bloody hell.” Lucifer cursed his realization as he proceeded to aggressively put on his assigned boots, all the while trying not to think about their origin or their whereabouts.

The Detective snorted at his antics before she focused on putting on her own boots. He was finished with his first, but the logistics of how he was supposed to walk, let alone _stand_ , with such tiny blades attached to his soles was one Lucifer couldn’t decipher. Thankfully, the Detective noticed his… _musings_ … and helped him stand and walk to the edge of the ring.

And then he paused.

Braving into the ice out of spite was one thing – especially with a child taunting him to do so. But as he stood there in front of it, as he felt the chill in the air rising up his legs… Lucifer reconsidered his life choices.

“It’s okay. I won’t let you fall.” The Detective whispered by his ear before she entered the ice, holding out both of her hands for him to take.

Which Lucifer did, and he allowed her to slowly ease him onto his slippery nightmare. He chose to focus on the heat of her palms on his as she pulled him along, rising past the cold to focus on the present. He so rarely got to have the Detective so close to him that he’d be damned if he didn’t focus on her at that moment.

Ice skating for newbies on the other hand required paying attention to what one was doing, which Lucifer was most certainly _not_ doing right then, not in the position he found himself, with the Detective surrounding him. 

That was how he slipped.

The first shift in his balance made him freeze. It sparked something deep and primal inside him, an irrational fear of knowing he couldn’t stop himself from hitting the ground if he fell and he was falling. But she could, and she did.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ve got you.” The Detective chanted like a mantra, over and over again, steady and quiet and comforting until he thawed from shock.

His momentarily lack of balance had pushed her to envelop him in her arms to keep them both standing, the heat of her body everywhere around him anchoring him to the moment and not his fleeting, hurtful memories.

Lucifer fought to get his breathing under control, to swallow down his momentary panic when the Detective started sliding again and pulled him along, until the aftermath of his fall was just a bad taste in his mouth.

“It's okay. C’mon. Just slide one foot at a time like this. Yeah, that’s it.” 

In the end, sliding through ice wasn’t so complicated after all. Laps and laps – and more than a few slippery close calls – with the Detective guiding him, keeping her arm tightly locked with his as they skated around, finally yielded some results. 

It didn’t get easier per se, but letting go of his pre-existing fears to move forward allowed him to enjoy the moment with his Detective. Every swift slide with the thin blade was still another chance to fall, but falling with her, or _for_ her, maybe wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.

The Detective stalked ahead of him when she noticed Lucifer had grown more confident in his lacking skills. She turned around, skating backwards, facing him, taunting him to chase her around the ring… and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

* * *

Saturday, December 12th

“I’ll have you know; literal Hell isn’t as bad as _this_.” Lucifer whined out, disgruntled, just as another wailing spawn zoomed past him without a care to those around it. The prospect of stickiness made a chill run down his spine and he backed away into the Detective’s side as the parents zoomed right by them, chasing around for their rebellious hellion.

Dread settled in as Lucifer’s eyes drifted around the crowd filling his vision, an uncomfortable sort of pressure building in his chest as he was horrified to notice the same situation wasn’t isolated to one spawn. It capitalized on every family surrounding him, every parent, every child, all wailing on as the world tried to go around being civilized.

Taking one step too large to get closer, Lucifer made sure to stick as closely into the Detective's side - a clever use of a human shield if you may - as he allowed her to drag him along with her child into his worst nightmare. His own Hell loop. 

Santa’s Village at the mall.

Overall, it was chaos. Pure, simple, unadulterated chaos. Confusion at its rawest, most devastating potential. Just like Pandemonium used to get like when Hell received a particularly burly batch of souls. 

But even for earthly standards, the main atrium of the mall was overflowing with humans, which, Lucifer pondered, was costumery during Christmas, even if the infamous day was still a couple weeks away.

But there was something to be said about the huge – _plastic_ – tree raising commandingly in the center of the open space, even he had to admit. It spanned almost to the third floor in heigh, with baubles of all kinds and sizes hanging in its branches, carefully assembled to perfection. It really was a sight to be seen, tastefully decorated with golden and blue accents, capitalizing on all of the natural light that flooded the room.

Which made it quite shameful that the bottom of the tree led to a blanket of white, populated by an army of snowmen taller than the child currently attached to his waist. Twelve days into the month and Lucifer was still incredibly baffled with the human fixation with snow around Christmas time, especially in a city that barely felt the effects of the winter season settling in.

Even still, he felt the decorations pended into the favorable side, if only because of the tree. It had attracted his eyes the moment he’d stepped into the atrium, amazed by all the light that bathed it, spilling into the space in multifaceted rainbows. The fairy lights filling columns and high ceilings on the hallways leading up to the tree atrium complemented the scenery quite nicely, and Lucifer caught himself wondering what they might look like at night, when no one else was around to disturb him. 

The sight was almost enough to make up for the crowd of small humans and their equally grabby parents thickening around him by the second, taking up most of the main area, and the slightly smaller than average humans dressed up in terrible imitations of elf outfits managing the poorly ordered line that led up to the main attraction. 

Lucifer tried to tune back into Beatrice’s babbling as they joined the line to see that poor excuse of a do-gooder radar. It only served to reawaken his anxiety, making him overtly aware of all the pocket-sized tiny persons wailing and whining around them, and all the time he’d have to spend at that bloody line waiting for the Spawn’s turn. 

“Hey…” The Detective whispered, voice barely audible in the overbearingly loud crowd, as she got closer to him, her hand wandering down his forearm to tangle her fingers through his. “Too much?” She asked, her eyes clear with concern for him as they’d been the week before, standing at the edge of the ice rink.

She quietly sidestepped into his front, the movement barely noticeable to anyone else, but just enough to discourage the unforgiving child that had been constantly trying to reach for his pant leg, its hands glistening with drool. Lucifer sighed in relief, meeting her gaze with gratitude bleeding out of him, even if her gesture had been a small thing compared to the messy atmosphere she’d dragged him into. 

Still, despite the relief she always seemed to provide him with, he couldn’t form words. Whenever he tried, his eyes seemed to stray away, each time coming to face with a more incredulous sight, distracting and overbearing in a way Lucifer had never experienced before. It was his initial assessment of the Christmas market, only ten times worse.

“It’s okay, Lucifer.” The child chirped in before his mind could spiral into despair, bright eyes staring him down as she inserted herself into his one-sided conversation with the Detective. “Santa’s nice. I bet he’d even let you sit on his lap and ask for presents if you want. You have to be on the nice list cause you’re always nice to us, right?”

The mere implication that he might be scared of Santa would usually be enough to baffle Lucifer, to warrant at least a snarky reply or an outrageous quip. Instead, his lips remained annoyingly sealed as the child’s words reached deep into his being, until it brought him pathetically close to tears.

Him, _nice_. Who knew…

“And how do you know you’re on the nice list, you little weasel.” The Detective’s voice sounded somewhere by his side as she distracted her daughter away from him, her eyes filled with understanding even as she faced away from him.

“That’s easy.” Beatrice said, a toothy grin lighting up her features with mirth. “I did all my homework, even on weekends.”

“That you did. I’m really proud of you, baby.” The Detective replied, a comforting smile taking over her features as her daughter latched onto her waist, settling the calm back in his soul. “I don’t think Lucifer’s interested in sitting on Santa’s lap, though.”

“Depends on how he might look like beneath that fake beard.” He quipped back, finding his voice again. His sly remark made the Detective’s eyes snap back to him and Lucifer put on the most innocent smile he could muster, staring dumbly back at his pair of humans. 

Her eye roll was expected, her smacking him in the chest was just a delight. Even as she tried to distract her Spawn away from questions, even as she tried to keep the stern look in her gaze, Lucifer could see a smile slowly winning her over, and the sight was enough to make this horrid trip to the mall worth it. 

“What? Surely, she’s smart enough to know the old man there’s a fake. He’s not even old!” He chose to shout-whisper his indignation this time, having learned his lesson of not questioning misleading children's lore out loud at the so-called school concert. 

At least it was enough to warrant another eye roll from the Detective. 

“Shush.” She replied, her tone witty even as she stared straight ahead. “Behave and I might buy you a treat later.” 

“Hmm. Does this mean you also think I’m on some ‘nice’ list?”

“You are nice, you know.” She said after a beat, voice soft, eyes incredibly blue as they stared at the bottom of his soul, ripping him raw of his usual bravado.

Lucifer tried to swallow down the sudden batch of emotion that rose up his throat, taking over his chest, settling in around his heart, spreading warmth through his being, even in its strangeness.

“ _Preposterous!_ ” He said instead, mock offended as he tried to ignore his desires, blow away the invisible line that somehow still stood between them. “If you want to join me on the ‘naughty’ list, I know just the way to make it a white Christmas.” A lewd smirk pulled at his lips, his eyes wandering up and down her body, but even he couldn’t deny how his heart wasn’t in it.

“I thought I said behave?” She tried to scold him, but the burn in her words was severely lessened by the smirk she couldn’t keep contained. 

Lucifer made a motion of zipping his lips shut, holding his hands behind his back as he stared straight ahead with innocence in his gaze, hoping the wait would be over soon. There was only so long he could play nice for, even for a treat. 

Unfortunately for his peace of mind, conversation slowed down between him and the Detective, but on the bright side, they’d only had to wait for about twenty or so minutes. Behind them, the line had more than doubled in size, curling around hallways and pillars and snowmen alike.

Beatrice, as always, lost no time in taking her turn, rushing into the man’s lap as she often did for his legs. Her hurry all but died down as she handed Santa her letter like it was the most precious thing in the world for her. Which, Lucifer pondered, for a nine-year-old child, it might as well be.

He watched as the man accepted it and placed it in his overflowing bag of letters before his eyes strayed back to the Detective, to the joy taking over her features as she pulled out her phone, ready for the photos. He took his usual place by her side, watching over her shoulder as she took picture after picture, her smile as big as Beatrice’s.

Seeing them made something pull inside him, some warmth, fluttery thing. It was nice. Even as he still struggled to understand the appeal of it all, Lucifer was glad he’d tagged along.

“There you go, kiddo. Back to your parents you go. And remember, December’s not over yet! Ho ho ho!” Santa said, his voice loud from his belly, as Beatrice scurried back to join them.

But then the man’s words settled in, and for the first time, Lucifer felt like he was indeed in the North Pole as the decorations suggested, an arctic chill of dread running down his spine. He turned his startled gaze back to the Detective’s, wide eyed at the mere implication, only to find her smiling with mirth, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Come on, Satan. Let’s go find you some cinnamon rolls.” She quipped, lacing her arm through his as she pulled him along, still too stunned to protest while Beatrice delightedly hopped away ahead of them.

* * *

Friday, December 18th

“I know it’s bad, but, come on, it’s not _that_ bad.” The Detective said without looking at him, her eyes fixed on the poorly decorated excuse of a stage filled with tiny tax burdens in costumes as she tried to pretend it was all fine, though he could see her fighting to hide her urge to cringe.

“You’re right, Detective.” He said, attracting her eyes back to his. For a second too long, Lucifer allowed himself to get lost in the depth of their blue, before the horde of spawn missed another high note that made his entire being cringe. “It’s _worse_.” 

The Detective snorted, forcing her eyes back into the stage and immediately cringed, as another note was butchered as the song, _thankfully_ , came to an end. The sound of applause as parents cheered their untalented spawn singing a terrible song about bloody reindeer covered his smug grin and almost drowned the Detective’s laughter at it, and, for once in his life, Lucifer was glad for his celestial constitution.

Hearing her happiness because of him made something pleasant bubble inside him, something soft that he’d been growing ever so slightly more accustomed to feeling whenever she was around, until Lucifer almost forgot where he was, too at ease by just being by her side.

He still wasn’t sure how he’d gotten himself in that situation, trapped in Beatrice’s school, forced to listen to what the Detective had had the courage to call a ‘Christmas Concert’ of all things. Honestly, after the nightmare at the mall, one would’ve expected him to learn his lesson, but _no_. He’d somehow managed to get into a situation where he was surrounded by tiny, grabby humans yet again.

But this? Oh, it somehow still managed to be worse. Forcing the Devil himself to sit in terribly uncomfortable plastic chairs with children torturing his ears right off all bloody night long… _outrageous_. And yet…

“I admit, it’s not the best thing ever, but it’s cute.” The Detective said all too happily, fake excitement bleeding out of her as a new batch of little monsters filled the stage and the torture carried on. “And it’s not like the _worst_ thing in the world.”

Almost as if on cue, the children started to sing, butchering even notes Lucifer had once thought incapable of butchering, and for once, he was definitely _not_ happy about being proven right.

“Trust me.” He said as another high note was missed by miles, making every musical fiber in his being ring with dissonance. “Not even the souls of the damned wail like this.”

“You’re impossible.” 

“Quite the contrary, darling.” Lucifer said, his voice low as he leaned into her as close as he could get away with, daring her to turn to face him and push him away. “I’m _very_ possible.”

The Detective only shook her head as her eyes remained stubbornly fixed on the stage and a slow smile began to take over her features. Lucifer turned his own eyes to the stage as a self-satisfied smirk stretched his lips, but it all fell down the moment the Detective reached for his hand. She intertwined her fingers through his and laid her head on his shoulder, and all the while Lucifer tried not to implode with how giddy for her touch it all made him feel.

“You know, if you didn’t want to come here, you shouldn’t have invited yourself.” She remarked without even turning around, the playful edge to her voice making _things_ bubble in his stomach.

Lucifer grumbled as he stubbornly fixed his eyes on the stage straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge her. His reaction only made the Detective’s snickers carry on, until even he had to fight back a smile. His eyes strayed back to look at her for a second and he found her still staring at him, that same playful smile in her face.

“Well, I couldn’t exactly let you suffer on your own, now could I? What kind of partner would I be if I allowed for that to happen?” 

“You tell yourself that.” The Detective patted his arm as she turned back to the stage, settling closer into his side – as much as the plastic chairs allowed, anyway – and Lucifer almost swooned in his seat.

For one song, the concert was almost bearable. Mildly amusing, even, in that terribly assembled manner that was still somewhat mirthful. But, as always, it didn’t last. Soon that one song was over, and Christianity just had to find a way to ruin his night.

“Oh please.” Lucifer scoffed as another set of spawn sang off about Jesus in a particularly off tune rendition that was just ludicrous.

An elbow connecting to his ribs made Lucifer flinch, and he turned his betrayed gaze to the Detective, only to find her with her eyes glued at the stage, an embarrassed blush coloring her cheeks as parents all around them turned to glare at him.

“What? It’s not even factually accurate.” He shout-whispered at her, outraged, before he forced himself to swallow down his – _perfectly justified_ – annoyance, if only because his Detective desired it.

Only, it finally seemed to be enough to make her turn her attention back to him. Her eyes stared at the bottom of his, wide and unreadable, their blue clear even in the darkened school theater.

“Huh.” She breathed out before she turned around and laid her head back on his shoulder, no other explanation leaving her lips. “I’d love to hear your version about the things in the bible someday.”

“Please, darling. You’re not ready for that.” Lucifer commented as they watched the Detective’s spawn climb the stage to take her place while he prepared himself for another batch of torture by tiny humans. He’d been introduced to Beatrice’s – lack of – musical skills before, and he was _not_ confident this time would be any more pleasant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so! FYI i guess. i'm not from the us and have never lived there, so most of the traditions depicted in the story are either my own or stuff i've picked up from watching tv and such. i hope i didn't go for anything too farfetched XD


	3. Chapter 3

Monday, December 21st 

The clock was dragging instead of ticking that afternoon, laughing at her face as time trapped Chloe at her desk. December was one of those months where she was either left at the edge of her seat, drained from working cases back-to-back, or she was drowning in paperwork, chained to her desk – usually because of the first.

That day was no different. After three days rushing around town chasing ‘Santa’ of all murderers, the paperwork was legendary. At least Lucifer had stuck around this time, ‘helping’, so she could get off work earlier to enjoy the night with her daughter.

Baking Christmas cookies had always been Trixie’s favorite tradition – mostly because she got to eat them, and the raw dough when Chloe wasn’t looking, and the icing, and the chocolate chips. It always hurt her a little to think of how her little monkey was getting so big… her head inching past Chloe’s waist now, and she couldn’t help but wonder if this would be the last year Trixie would still want to do it. Celebrate Christmas and all the silly traditions with her mom.

Even _bedtime_ , Trixie’s once most sacred ritual in the world, had changed already, with Trixie reading her own books instead of being read to. Sometimes Chloe was just left wondering what else? What would be the next thing she’d trade for her daughter’s growth?

But as much as Chloe dreaded her monkey’s growing independence, with Lucifer everything was a first. First time picking a tree, first time decorating it. First time braving through the crowds of raging, impatient children at the mall and first time ice skating. First time attending a school concert – which she was still unsure how she’d gotten him to go to.

Having him tag along for their Christmas traditions this year had been better than she’d ever admit to anyone. It had shown her this side of him Chloe had only been allowed glimpses of before, the side that cared more than Lucifer realized, that was soft and true, more beautiful than anything she’d ever gazed upon.

And now, every time his eyes found hers, bursting with warmth and care, her heart fluttered. She was giddy for his presence, for the soothing melody of his company. For all the little dates they’d had lately, if she could even call them that.

Work had been so hectic lately, trying to drown her at every turn, that Chloe was pretty sure she wouldn’t have survived it without him. Without this safe space Lucifer provided, where she could breathe and keep standing as the world tried to drag her down.

“Trixie and I are baking cookies tonight.” Chloe said as she looked up from the latest of the forms she still had to fill up, and it was like her voice suddenly filling the quiet had startled him out of a trance.

It was breathtaking, watching Lucifer’s face transforming as he turned to look at her. How his eyes filled with warmth, how his smile lit up, banishing all the tired, worry lines away from his forehead. His posture and his shoulders relaxed, his entire stance turning around to lean closer to her, drawn like a magnet.

“You wanna come over and help?” She asked, her heart fluttering along with the cadences in her voice. 

Chloe hadn’t expected it to make Lucifer’s face fall, taking her hopes down with it.

“Ah, thank you, darling, but no. I already have plans.” He said back, tone heavy with regret as an apprehensive frown wrinkled his brow, like he’d suddenly been reminded of some worrying thing.

She tried not to look as disappointed as she felt, but, in the end, it was a lost battle.

* * *

Walking through the door later that night lifted something off of Chloe’s shoulders. She was tired. Cases shouldn’t rise like they did around Christmas. Work wasn’t supposed to double up and be all over her face while the world thrived in happiness all around her.

It was hard and she was tired, but most of all, Chloe was sad. Somewhere along the traditions this year, she’d grown so used to having Lucifer there, an active and willing – although complaining – part of it, and now that he wasn’t, it somehow felt empty.

Thankfully, tiny footsteps approaching filled the quiet air as her monkey rushed to meet her at the door, and it didn’t leave her too long to ponder on missing partners and sad hearts.

A loud, bubbly yell of _“Luciferrrr!”_ broke through the apartment, quickly followed by Trixie with her arms already stretched out and ready to hug.

Chloe tried her best not to let her heart break when she saw the desolate expression on her daughter’s face as her eyes settled on the door and didn’t find her favorite person in the world there.

“Mom, where’s Lucifer?” Trixie asked as she looked up at her with big brown eyes so alike her partner’s that it hurt. The amount of facial expressions the two shared now was ridiculous. “You said you’d ask him to come and help.”

“I know, monkey. I asked, but he said he already had plans.” She said. Chloe hated to see her daughter looking so gloomy, but requesting a hug brightened her up as she knew it would, even if just a bit. “Why don’t you go wash your hands so we can start?”

“At least Maze is here.” Trixie commented as she left for the bathroom

How much of that statement was actually helpful and how much was a hindrance Chloe wasn’t sure but considering the Demon’s views on washing the dishes and actual cooking, she wasn’t optimistic.

Which was when Maze decided to show herself, walking into the kitchen all clad in her preferred leather gear, looking totally out of place in a kitchen decorated like Santa had crashed his sleigh with Christmas all over it.

“What up, Decker?”

“Hey. Could you get me the flour in the cabinet behind you, please?” Chloe asked as she started to gather the ingredients they would need, reaching into the very back of the bottom drawer for the same old recipe they used every year and she still had failed to memorize.

“Baking? Not a chance.” Maze snickered as she carved a piece out of the blood red apple in her hand with her blade, using its sharp tip to pierce the piece and eat it. Chloe had never thought someone could look menacing while surrounded by Christmas decorations, but here she was, wrong again. “I thought the kid said Lucifer was going to help with that.”

“He said he already had plans, actually.” Chloe smiled through the sentence, even as she knew she wasn’t fooling any of them.

And yet, Maze snorted. Thankfully, though, not at her.

“Yeah, right. _Plans_.” She mocked, though Chloe could see how her scoffing was mostly for show. “His _plans_ are sitting around being an idiot.”

“What?”

Maze sighed as she pulled the closest bench to sit on, like the words about to leave her mouth were a taxation all on their own. “Every year he starts acting like an idiot around this time, glooming around, waiting for his brother to show up. Newsflash, he _never_ does! Then Lucifer gets all… _broody_ … but the next year he’ll wait all the same.”

“His brother? What do you mean?” Chloe asked, stretching more than she was capable to reach the chocolate chips on the very back of the tallest cabinet. She was pretty sure the brother in that sentence wasn’t Amenadiel, which posed the question of who could it be?

Lucifer rarely mentioned his siblings, and when he did, it was never in high regards. Even with Amenadiel, she remembered it had taken them some time to warm up to each other again.

“Yeah, _Yeshua_.” Maze spat the name before she shuddered, as if the mere mention of something holy unsettled her. “They’ve some weird arrangement to meet on winter solstice, so Lucifer would leave Hell every earthly year to wait for him, but he never shows.”

“I thought Lucifer didn’t get along with his siblings?”

“Don’t know, but Yeshua’s supposed to be different somehow.” Maze said as she started to pick on the chocolate chip bag with the tip of her knife. Chloe reached to take that one out of her reach preemptively, before they ended up with chocolate-less cookies.

But the information so casually slipped by made something gnarl in her mind. It was that feeling that she should’ve known what it meant, but her mind kept coming in short. She didn’t remember Lucifer ever mentioning someone named Yeshua before, or any angels named that. 

“I mean, he doesn’t have an -el name.” She pointed out the obvious while trying to make her mind focus on the gathered ingredients that were supposed to become cookies somehow instead of letting it drift to Lucifer.

“Oh, no. He does. _Emmanuel_ , I think. Doesn’t like it either.” Maze said, her tone almost bordering on bored, before she threw the last of her apple away and left the kitchen in favor of the couch.

But the ‘either’ in her sentence stuck to Chloe even as Maze left.

She didn’t want to imagine what it possibly suggested. She didn’t want to imagine a Lucifer with an -el name, holy and beautiful and precious, so filled with grace and high above anything else. She didn’t want to imagine a younger version of him, happy and carefree, relaxed and content, from a time before all the pain, before it all went to Hell, literally.

When Chloe tried to picture him, picture the angel inside Lucifer refused to recognize, those curls of his that had already given her enough fantasies came to mind. She always pictured him looking soft just like he’d had a couple weeks ago, beneath the Christmas tree. She pictured him looking as regal in angel robes as he looked in his suits, his eyes still bright with pride and excitement like he’d been on that ice rink chasing her around, all too pleased he’d learned how to.

She pictured him with his great white wings spread out, shining, bathing in the sunlight, or enthralling crowds with his heavenly voice, or just singing something quiet just for her on his piano.

When Chloe pictured him as an angel, her mind didn’t have to go too far from what he already was.

“Hey, monkey? Grab your jacket.” She called for Trixie as she reached for her shopping bags and started to place all the ingredients inside. “We’re going out.”

* * *

Riding the elevator up to the penthouse that evening brought forth all the doubts Chloe had fought down so hard about showing up unannounced at the penthouse. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she hadn’t really thought this through. Maybe she should’ve just stayed at home and let Lucifer be…

He’d been more than clear at the precinct about not wanting company, but even as he’d said so, he’d stayed until the very last second of her shift, just being there, sitting by her side. Keeping _her_ company. Maybe now was her time to do the same for him.

She’d noticed the skittishness in his behavior, the apprehension frowning his brow, that unsettling energy he didn’t know how to deal with. All day he’d exuded keep away vibes even though he’d stayed glued to her side. So, maybe it wasn’t as much about not wanting company as it was about Lucifer not knowing how to ask for it.

At least Chloe hoped it was. Sincerely so.

And she knew him. Over the years, it was undeniable that they’d gotten so close she now knew all his tells and expressions, and all the things he left unspoken. And now knowing his history and his actual plans for the evening, Chloe couldn’t imagine leaving him be by himself. After what had happened with Father Frank all those years ago, she’d learned how to help him, and she wouldn’t be leaving him alone this time.

She wasn’t so confident about bringing Trixie along, though.

Of course, her monkey meant well, but her restless energy on the elevator ride alone had been enough to make Chloe doubt her hurried choice. She knew Lucifer was weird around kids, and as much as she knew his apparent repulsion towards Trixie was mostly for show, he was still unsure about how to behave around her daughter.

And, in the distress she expected to find him in, incessant questions and spontaneous hugs might not be the best course of action.

She should’ve waited until Trixie was put to bed, realistically, tired and satisfied from all the cookie baking that night, but her worry had trumped whatever doubt she’d felt in that moment, and her monkey’s support had only solidified it further.

Stepping out of the elevator, though, had rocked her foundations. What the metal doors revealed as they slid open was a penthouse scarce of any life or light. The gloom in the atmosphere settled heavily around them, quieting down even Trixie’s excitement at finally getting to see Lucifer’s home.

After adjusting to the dark, what her eyes revealed to her only fueled Chloe’s concern. Lucifer was just… sitting there, in his favorite armchair, in the dark, miserable, with distress written all over his features and a drink almost forgotten in his grasp.

Chloe made her way inside in careful steps, trying not to startle him, and was proud beyond words when Trixie mirrored her doing the same.

“Hey…” She called when she was almost by his side, her voice soft in the dark, carrying with ease through the empty nightly air.

“Detective?” Lucifer cleared his throat when his voice failed. His sharpening gaze soon focused on her, but something heavy claimed his mind hostage, making him look startled right out of his body. “I thought you had plans with your… spawn.” He began, but his sentence drifted off when he noticed Trixie sneaking out from behind her legs. 

For a fleeting second, Chloe could’ve sworn he looked troubled when Trixie didn’t immediately scream his name and latched onto his legs as she was wont to do, but it was but a passing moment that left her unsure if she’d just imagined it.

“Yeah…” She agreed before she raised the shopping bags she’d brought along, filled heavy with flour and chocolate chip and colored icing and cookie cutters, and everything else they might need for the cookies. “Maze told me about your plans and… I thought it might be nice to have some company while you wait.”

“I, uh…” For a moment too long, he hadn’t been able to school his features. Lucifer looked stressed beyond words, nervous almost to the point of panicking, but he visibly swallowed it all down and sighed.

It allowed for something soft to dawn in his features, something sweet, gently illuminated by the amber lights from the bar behind her. 

“ _Yes_. Thank you.” His answer was genuine, but Chloe had always been able to see him raw. He was glad for the distraction, but completely letting go of his worry would demand far more than he had the energy for.

Not that Lucifer allowed her to reach past his surface easiness and into the depth of his pain.

He clapped his hands as he pushed himself out of his armchair, the last of his drink laying forgotten on the coffee table. “Right. What ludicrous tradition are we partaking in this time?” His voice carried on with ease as if his peril had never happened at all. It was enough to awaken the excitement in her daughter, but lately, Lucifer rarely managed to fool her, and it was almost palpable how he seemed to be undoing himself by the seams.

“Christmas cookies!” Trixie exclaimed, skipping steps as she latched onto him, babbling on and on as Lucifer walked them to his kitchen, dragging her little monkey along as she clung to his waist.

* * *

For as good of a cook as Lucifer was, his baking skills definitely left something to be desired.

While he mixed ingredients with ease and cracked eggs with one hand and seemed to know every trick in the book about making cookies despite claiming he’d never properly baked them himself before… it didn’t make up for all the mess he seemed to leave in his wake.

It was like Chloe had two children to look after, either trying to sneak chocolate chips between himself and Trixie or eating the raw dough behind her back. And that was without even considering the whole mess with the flour bag.

He’d proudly taken it out of her hands, claiming she was taking too long with it, only he’d applied just a little bit too much pressure and the bag had exploded right in his face, making him disappear in a cloud of white.

Flour had filled the air around them, sticking to every surface nearby. It had stuck to the floor, the cabinets, the counters, and his suit, and had formed a little pile over his shoulders. And it had coated his face.

It had painted every hair in Lucifer’s head in a snowy white, sticking to his scruff and his loosening curls and even speckling his eyelashes. A smile so big had broken through her features as she watched his shock settle in, and then Trixie had snickered at him, telling him he looked like Santa, and Chloe had almost doubled over with guffaws.

Lucifer’s pout had been legendary, and for a blissful moment, all the tension had left him.

At least it had been fun enough until Chloe remembered she’d had to clean it all up while he stepped aside for a quick shower.

That had been a couple hours ago. Between the three of them, they’d finished the batch of cookies Chloe had assigned for that night. And despite a couple mishaps with the frosting, Lucifer’s kitchen had managed to survive. Mostly.

But now that everything was all ready and done, with nothing left to distract them, it was impossible to ignore the elephant in the room and waiting for this brother of his settled as a heavy atmosphere in the penthouse that lingered in the back of Chloe’s throat.

It only worsened after Trixie fell asleep and the little awakened sounds she was making were drowned by silence. Chloe briefly stepped out of the living room to put her monkey into bed in one of the spare rooms, and her concern only grew as she returned.

As the night dragged along, she’d had to sit by as Lucifer got more and more retreated into his quiet despair.

He’d shrunk in his corner of the couch, unresponsive to the rest of the world, so deep in his mind Chloe could see him drowning in misery. The hardest part was having to watch him go through it, knowing there was nothing she could do as Yeshua’s timeframe got slimmer and slimmer until she was sure this would be just another year where he didn’t show. Another disappointment, another year of being alone.

She wasn’t ready to face the broken, rejected look she imagined would take over Lucifer’s face.

At some point, Chloe snuck closer to him on the couch and took his hand. Lucifer gripped it with too much force, hanging to her like she was his lifeline, but she forced herself not to flinch. She was glad she could give him at least a little bit of strength when he desperately needed it. They’d really come a long way.

But then, just like that, in a split moment, they weren’t alone anymore.

They’d been so deep in their concerns that the soft ding of an arriving elevator had almost gone by unnoticed. Chloe turned around, a half mind dismissal to whoever had wandered up from the club looking to get lucky already at the tip of her tongue. But the way Lucifer tensed by her side, how his hand in hers grew stronger in its grip, and an incredulous sigh left his lips, made her reassess the situation.

Tentative steps brought a man inside the main room, the same tentative look in his eyes as he took in the scene before focusing on the two of them on the couch. It was almost instinctive, the certainty she had that the man was the one they’d been waiting for the whole night, even as he looked as different from Lucifer as possible.

His skin tone was closer to Amenadiel’s, his height only about half an inch taller than hers.

Where Lucifer was all lean lines and charming smiles, with a personality so much bigger and brighter than himself, the man seemed to curl into himself, glad to be missed, unnoticed in a large room. His frame was mostly hidden by his clothes, all one size too large, his hair bordering on scruffy and his chin hidden by a thick beard.

But like Lucifer, his eyes were of a chocolate brown, deep and rich like freshly turned dirt, and heavy with the same fathom pain, the consuming burden of a soul scraped raw, the weight of the world on his shoulders just the same.

But when his eyes settled on Lucifer, the beginnings of a broken smile started to take over his features. It made him almost look alive again, with a spark in his soul and relief beyond words in his gaze.

The sounds that left his lips were heavy and foreign, but melodic, nonetheless, and they awakened something in her partner. Lucifer startled back into his body by her side, his grip on her hand tensing for a second before a relief so great it seemed to burst out of him took over his chest and he stood up, long strides eating the ground in seconds as he approached his brother.

Despite their closeness, there was still something unspoken in the air, still a hesitancy between them. Years of missed meetings, of restless nights agonizing in the dark, wondering, feeling the rejection time and time again. But this time, Yeshua came through.

He reached out, laying a hand on Lucifer’s arm, soft spoken words falling from his lips, and Chloe watched it undo her partner.

She watched as the lines in Lucifer’s shoulders finally gave in, and tears gathered in his eyes, shining like the stars she now knew he’d woven into the sky. They both moved forward at the same time, crashing in a brief hug before hastily pulling away, hands wiping tears from cheeks as they both pretended the sudden surge of emotion hadn’t happened in the first place.

Chloe wasn’t surprised to feel the smile growing in her features at the brotherly affection so clear between the two of them. At least this part Lucifer still got to have. She knew it was pointless to hope he and his Father would ever be willing to extend an olive branch – and she wasn’t so sure herself that if in his place, she’d accept one. What God – _God_ – did to him had scarred him beyond words. 

Despite muddled glasses and biased information, she knew Lucifer’s anger wasn’t borne out of nothing. He was still somewhat justified in it, even if he’d broken himself to cling to it, to keep feeling the one thing he’d felt since the beginning of time.

But that part, the family he unwillingly lost, the kinship, the certainty that he wasn’t alone in the universe. A fallen angel, but an angel, nonetheless. The type of relationship she knew he missed so deeply, even as he hid it so thoroughly from himself.

Chloe wished he could still have that, and with Yeshua, it seemed possible.

Despite not being around Amenadiel much in those few weeks when she first met Lucifer, she’d gotten the feeling that his siblings and him got along like water and oil. It was nice to see at least one of them still cared, at least.

“Ah, and you must be Chloe.” Yeshua said as he finally disentangled himself from Lucifer. He offered his hand for a shake, his grip soft but strong, resilient, as his voice drifted through the quiet penthouse in a strong middle eastern accent.

“Yeah. It’s nice to meet you, Yeshua…” She replied hesitating on his name, her tongue curling strangely around foreign syllables as she hoped she wasn’t botching it too much.

“Yeshua, yes. Likewise.” He replied, his name dripping from his lips with eased familiarity despite the contrasting patterns of American English. “Though, I’m going by Joshua these days.”

_Emmanuel_ , she remembered. Another ‘of God’ that was overlooked, renegaded even. It was easy to draw the brotherly lines when those little details were brought forth, the little, overlooked things that spoke louder than words if you were just willing to listen to them.

It was easy to forget that both men in front of her weren’t men at all. It was easy to take them at face value, so real and tangible and flawed, unholy in an intrinsically human way. 

But for her, it was their eyes. There was always something about them that betrayed her mind. The strangeness of not understanding the simple things, the detached look of beings so ancient that looked upon humanity from outside instead of partaking in.

And it was that look that Chloe found herself under.

Both of them were just… staring at her, intrigued, as her mind wandered around. But unlike Lucifer, with that little head tilt of his that always reminded her too much of a bird, Yeshua was more contained, more human in his responses, even if those seemed all too ancient.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to stare, it’s just…” Chloe rushed out to add, but there was still something nagging in the back of her throat, the latest turmoil that took over her mind that night that she just couldn’t quite put into words. “How come none of you look alike?” She asked, taking a page out of Lucifer’s book, deflecting the question she didn’t know how to answer with another not necessarily related question that appeared as an answer to anyone that wasn’t her.

“Expecting blue eyes and fair skin, Detective?” Lucifer was quick to quip, even as his commentary flew right over her head.

“What- Blue eyes? Why? Why would I expect that?”

“It’s how humanity chooses to believe him to be despite having actual proof of the opposite.” He began as he retreated back to his bar, his movements not even slowing down his rant as Lucifer poured another glass of scotch. She knew how he could get worked up sometimes, caught up on the little, unimportant things that were missed by most people but that spoke volumes about him. “Honestly, you humans and your prejudice…”

“I’m- I…” Chloe stuttered, trying to tune her questions to his wandering questioning. “What?”

“Ah… I think what Luci’s trying to say is that you may know me as Jesus… We’re only half-brothers.” Yeshua’s voice drifted easily in the once quiet atmosphere of the penthouse, shutting down the last functioning part of her brain.

Jesus. Jesus Christ. _Jesus fucking Christ_ , Jesus. _That_ Jesus. Standing in front of her. Short and nothing like the famous paintings, and soft and pained, and bursting with affection for Lucifer, her best friend. _The Devil_.

Jesus and the Devil as best buddies. Why not?

She could feel the mania clawing up her spine, her mind undoing itself at the seams.

Chloe’s eyes went wide, her finger pointing between the two of them as her mind struggled to catch up, as if the sight before her could be made more feasible by the sheer force of her will.

_“How?”_ She managed to ask eventually, her voice still off while her mind was miles away.

“Long story, actually.” Lucifer said in that enticing way of his, calling out for desires, fishing for the interest Chloe was more than sure was written everywhere in her face. He leaned back into the counter, sipping his whiskey, the lights from the bar dancing around him.

“The part where he tried to tempt me in the desert was true, though.” Yeshua commented, getting a snort out of Lucifer.

Chloe could see the mischief lighting up Lucifer’s eyes, the happy glint of when he knew he was being naughty, but it wasn’t enough to hide the pain she could still see clawing at his insides. As much as he cherished his brother, and it was clear how much he did, the memory of him wasn’t a happy one.

“I’d heard through some new arriving souls in Hell about a man who called himself a son of God. Took it upon myself to investigate, naturally.”

Chloe snorted at the thought. She knew this investigation had nothing to do with actual investigation. Just like it had been with Father Frank, she could imagine Lucifer coming out of Hell to tempt Jes- _Yeshua_ , to prove he wasn’t as virtuous as he claimed to be. Just another charlatan fooling people in the name of the Father he so hated but couldn’t manage to move past.

“Imagine my surprise when I found another goody two shoes that reeked of divinity and with a stick so far up his arse you could see it coming out of his mouth.” His tone began light enough, carrying with the usual annoyance he directed at Amenadiel, but it changed all too suddenly, with something dark taking over his features. “So, I followed him into the desert.”

The gloom that took over his eyes had been clue enough that it hadn’t been pretty.

She could imagine his surprise and the reluctant acknowledgement that Yeshua was indeed telling the truth. She could imagine his eventual glee, the growing acceptance, the tentative hope of having a chance to have a family again, have a brother that hadn’t stood idly by as he Fell like all his other siblings had.

And she could also imagine his initial grief, his rage at finding out he’d been ‘replaced’.

Despite not being terribly familiar with the bible, she knew about the Devil tempting Jesus in the desert, and his subsequent crucifixion by the romans. Chloe could imagine Lucifer trailing after his brother like he did with her, intent on disrupting Yeshua’s immovable faith with the unstoppable force that he is. She could imagine him getting attached without meaning to, she could imagine the terror in his face upon realizing what fate would bring to this newfound brother of his. 

She could imagine him fighting to convince Yeshua, and standing idly by as they crucified him, unable to do anything else, hurting all the same as if he’d been the one to nail the iron through his brother’s palms.

She could imagine Lucifer’s outright anger at his Father, and all the hurt the sight had to have brought in him, being forced to watch as his brother suffered, like his siblings had done for him. But this time, despite every fiber in his being screaming at him to move, he’d had to respect Yeshua’s wishes and let him suffer for all of humanity.

As the pain of memory settled in between the brothers, she could imagine she wasn’t so far away from the truth, either.

“That was supposed to have been the end for me, the crucifixion. I never expected to be resurrected a few days later.” Yeshua commented, sending the room into an uncomfortable silence as Lucifer refused to meet his eyes. “I don’t think I ever thanked you for that, Lucifer. Even if it wasn’t what our Father had planned for me, I’m grateful.”

“Couldn’t exactly let you rot on a bloody cave, now could I?” Lucifer spat like what he did meant nothing, turning around and leaning back on the counter, folding over himself, drowning his pain in scotch. “Fat load of good that did.”

Chloe could feel his grief in the back of her throat, burning down with the sour taste of alcohol.

“You gave me a life, brother. Thirty-two more years on Earth and a natural death.” Yeshua said as he carefully approached and placed a hand on Lucifer’s shoulder. “It’s more than anyone ever did, most of all Father.”

Chloe watched the two of them as they came to an understanding, communicating through silent words, and she took that as her cue to let the two of them be and talk in their own terms, without minding her and her melting mind at every biblically proportioned revelation.

* * *

She couldn’t say for certain what it was that woke her up. It was a soft pull to consciousness, a desire to be awake, to experience the moment around her. She felt comfortable despite her position, soft and warm. And when Chloe opened her eyes, she instantly knew exactly why.

She remembered falling asleep in one of the soft, worn out leather armchairs in Lucifer’s library, listening to the soft cadences of his voice as it drifted through the room with a half-forgotten book in her grasp.

Now the penthouse was quiet and the world outside was still dark, but in the library, the light was still soft around her, warm and comforting. And when she finally opened her eyes, Lucifer filled her sight.

He was kneeling in front of her, a lazy smile stretching his features, looking softer than the lights around them. His eyes looked fathomlessly dark, all too vulnerable and pretty, and they pulled her gaze in like gravity.

“Don’t you look cozy there.” Lucifer commented, his voice rough in a way that made chills run down her spine.

Chloe snorted even as a smile started to tug at the corners of her mouth, melting back into the armchair. “Shut up.”

Lucifer only huffed in response, his smile somehow getting larger as he settled closer to her, leaning one of his elbows on the armrest and his head on that hand. And he looked good. All too soft and warm just being there, inviting and caring, making something swoop low in Chloe’s stomach, something comforting and affectionate, and dangerous.

“What about Yeshua?” She asked back, her tone off put as she found herself trapped in his gaze and unwilling to escape.

“He left already.” His smile turned into something a little more pained, a little more longing, but that was quickly washed away and replaced with a light grin. For once, Chloe believed it was a true smile, not just Lucifer pretending to be fine. “Too soon, I know. But Father makes a big deal of his presence on the Silver City. Can’t have Heaven without Jesus, or some bloody nonsense like that.” He lost himself in his rant for a moment, care for his brother bleeding through his words even as he tried to swallow it down. 

Of the many things knowing him had brought to her life, watching him rediscover himself was one that still made her heart fill with pride. Watching Lucifer becoming the person he wanted to be, his own person. Discovering who he’d once been and had shunned away, afraid.

It had been her privilege to watch him grow. To watch him experiencing the world around him to its fullest and learning and evolving and caring. Changing because he wanted to. 

This Christmas was the perfect example of that. The most concrete affirmation, the most solid proof, that the Devil had, indeed, a heart of gold. That not even Hell had been able to diminish him and extinguish his light.

Watching him overcoming his trauma and his past mistakes, going from the insufferable playboy he’d crafted to protect himself, to the caring, vulnerable being kneeling in front of her, scraped raw of pretenses and misguided notions of how he should behave… it made Chloe believe in the Christmas spirit again. In good things, in justice. That anything was possible.

“Detective…” Lucifer tried, hesitating around her title. 

She could see the way his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down his throat as he swallowed before reaching for her hand for a second time that night. His grip was much softer this time, reverent almost, like the care in his gaze as he met hers.

“ _Chloe_ … thank you.” His voice was tight around the edges, but the raw emotion she could see in his eyes spoke louder than words ever could. His gaze, like his music, had always carried all the emotion he couldn’t understand. “I… _thank you_.” His voice trembled with sincerity, his eyes darker than the night sky, and to her, he’d never looked as beautiful as he did then. 

She could almost feel all the moments where they’d grown together surrounding them, all the setbacks and the warmth in his gaze and his touch and her heart. All the love. And just like that she was back beneath that Christmas tree, just the two of them, surrounded by the fresh scent of pine and soft lights, lost in his gaze.

This was it. The moment they’d been slowly heading towards this whole time. The culmination of all the lingering touches, all the heartfelt gazes, all the warm, meaningful moments.

Lucifer looked so soft and inviting in the low light that it was easy to take that first step, the leap of faith. To lean down and meet his lips.

It was somehow more than she’d ever dreamed it would be, much more perfect than she’d ever hoped for. Beautiful all on its own. It made her heart skip as he responded, his lips warm and sure on hers, conveying all the emotion neither could seem to put into words.

Chloe melted into him, her arms settling around his shoulders, her fingers burying themselves in his hair. Chloe sighed into the kiss, her lips stretching in a smile so wide she couldn’t stop. When she finally managed to open her eyes, the adoration in Lucifer’s gaze made her breath catch and she was filled with a sense of finally. 

Of finally coming home.

* * *

Tuesday, December 22nd 

This time, Chloe knew exactly what it was that woke her up. It was the same want to be awake, to soak in the moment. This time, the sun was bathing her in a soft morning light, painting the penthouse in early gold.

And when she opened her eyes, she was glad to find Lucifer still sleeping soundly by her side. Chloe sighed as she snuggled back into him, glad for once for the narrowness of his couch that pushed them both so close together.

If it hadn’t been for the position they found themselves in, tangled in each other, she could’ve almost dismissed the whole thing. From making cookies with her favorite two people in the world, to meeting _actual Jesus_ … to their kiss.

It had all been too good to be true. A Christmas miracle, indeed.

That was when she felt Lucifer shifting by her side, slowly coming awake. His hand grew surer on her lower back where it had fallen, his nose burying more intently in her hair, and he sighed, wrapping himself more comfortably around her, making the soft leather of the couch protest.

Chloe raised her eyes just in time to see him opening his, to witness the moment registering in his mind and the soft smile taking over his features.

“Hi.” She breathed out low, her voice soft as she basked in his soft expression, in the little happy wrinkles around his eyes and the messy curls crowding his head.

She almost melted when he leaned in to kiss her, his hand warm as it cupped her cheek, his lips sweet as she tasted his joy.

“Morning.” Lucifer greeted back when they finally managed to pull apart, his voice deliciously raspy as his nose ran through the length of hers. “Breakfast? I guarantee you my cinnamon rolls will be far superior to the _mall_ ones.”

Chloe snorted at his offer, but wrapped her arms tighter around his waist anyway, resting her head on top of his chest and closing her eyes. “In a minute.” She mumbled as she felt the quietness of sleep surrounding her, not enough to pull her under, but enough to provide a lazy rest.

Lucifer seemed more than content to just be, one of his hands resting comfortably over hers as the other ran through her hair, slowly untangling all the knots.

“You know, Christmas isn’t over yet.” She mumbled without looking at him, focusing instead on messily tangling her fingers through his.

“Oh?” Lucifer asked back, excitement coloring back his tone as it attracted her eyes to his. “What are we to do now? Any more trees to slaughter? Don’t tell me you want me to dress as that red clown to trick your spawn.”

Chloe snickered at his comment, but deep down, there was still something nagging at the back of her throat, some insecurity as she felt the moment hanging at the tips of her fingers. 

It was ridiculous that she was afraid to ask him to join them one more time after he’d already partaken in all of their traditions so far, _voluntarily_ even, and had enjoyed them as far as she was concerned. 

Maybe it was because this time wouldn’t be just the three of them anymore, maybe because he’d already said no once, and she didn’t want to feel that void again.

Maybe it was because she couldn’t picture Christmas without him anymore and asking him out loud would be giving him another chance to refuse, even as her logical brain knew there was no way he would. Whereas staying in this moment with him, uncertain but relaxed and comfortable, was all she wanted for the rest of her life.

Whatever reason it might be, it disappeared the moment she allowed herself to meet his eyes and she could see the clear adoration in them, the truth and the trust.

“Actual Christmas?” Chloe said tentatively, her voice suddenly small. “We’re having dinner on Christmas Eve at my place. Join us?”

“Well, all these preparations had to eventually lead to something, I suppose.” Lucifer quipped, but it was a soft thing, his fingers never stopping their soft combing through her hair. Some fluttery warm feeling swooped low in her stomach as she watched his gaze softening and his smirk growing into a lazy smile, beautiful and radiant. “I would love to.”

Chloe didn’t waste a second and leaned in to kiss him, her own hand tangling through his soft curls before her smile got in the way and she pulled back, resting her forehead on his.

“I thought it was customary to have Christmas dinner on actual Christmas day instead of the eve?” Lucifer managed to ask some time later, perplexity overcoming the joy in his features.

“I guess, but since I can remember, my dad’s family always did Christmas Eve dinner instead because everyone was spread around the state and we’d usually have to return home on Christmas day. It was pretty nice, though. The only night in the year I could stay up until midnight to open my presents when I was a kid.

And then when Dan and I were together, it was just easier to continue like this because his family always does Christmas day lunch. Now that we’re divorced, Trixie usually stays with me for dinner on the 24th and then Dan takes her to his parents’ house for lunch on Christmas day, so it works really well, and we don’t have to split her for the holidays.”

“I suppose it does make sense.” Lucifer commented, looking all too thoughtful for a long moment before his whole body froze, and mild panic took over his features.

“Lucifer? What’s wrong?”

“I just realized I don’t have presents.” His voice was tight as the words reluctantly left his lips and the panic settled into his frame. Wide eyes turned to meet hers as he was undoubtedly reliving his most recent mall experience.

Chloe cackled as she settled into him again, wrapping his arm back around her when it seemed he’d stay trapped in his mental torment for the time being. She sighed as she got comfortable and pulled the blanket tighter around them, basking in the lazy morning for as long as it would last.

“Oh, bloody hell.”

* * *

The elevator ride up to the penthouse that night was definitely longer than usual. Chloe cursed herself as she tried not to fidget, too impatient to stay still. She felt like a teenager all over again, all too giddy to see Lucifer again.

Work had been especially boring that day, filled with paperwork and stale coffee, but more so than usual because of Lucifer’s absence by the chair at the side of her desk. They’d parted ways after breakfast, her to get Trixie home and then head over to work, and him to venture through the mall, willingly suffering through his personal Hell for Christmas – his words, not hers. 

But when Lucifer had told her he absolutely _had_ to go get presents for everyone, Chloe hadn’t expected to arrive at his penthouse to find it overflowing with them, but that was what she found when the elevator doors opened. 

“What the hell happened here?” She asked as she tried to step inside, sidestepping more piles of wrapped boxes and weirdly shaped presents then she’d ever seen in her life. 

“Ah, Detective!” Lucifer said in greeting, his features lighting up. “Nothing hellish, I assure. Though my day was indeed a torture straight from below.”

“I thought you said you were going to get a _few_ presents for our friends. What…?” Chloe was entirely too shocked to actually form words, her perplexed gaze lost somewhere on the sea of gifts drowning his living room. “There’s like… thirty something gifts here?”

“Forty-two actually.” Lucifer said all proud with his chest puffing up, his smile all too happy and self-satisfied while his eyes were bright. 

His pride had almost been enough to convince her his current craziness was justified somehow, but it definitely did make her smile back at him, his happiness infectious to anyone around him.

“Why do you need forty-two gifts?”

“For all the spawns that asked me for them.” Lucifer explained matter-of-factly, as if that made any sense. “Here.” He said as he rushed to hand her one of the letters from the huge pile he had at the bar countertop, zigzagging through the stacks of presents to get to her.

Chloe accepted the letter and turned it around in her hands, a small, amused smile fighting to take over her face when she found the big block letters written with crayon that clearly spelled ‘SATAN’ instead of ‘SANTA’.

“Lucifer, you didn’t have to get them anything.” She said through the affection coating her voice, melting just a little as she saw the incredulousness taking over his eyes.

“Oh, please. As if that bloody idiot in red could ever do better than the Devil himself.” Lucifer puffed up as he ranted, all self-righteous and outraged, and she moved in to kiss him anyway.

He was a complete idiot sometimes, but he was her idiot, who was going to make a lot of kids happy this Christmas.

* * *

Wednesday, December 23rd

A soft melody drifted at leisure through the quiet atmosphere at Lux, the kind of quiet that belonged to a nightclub long before opening hours, while the sun still shone outside. Inside the club, where the only glow came from the starry-like sky lights dominating the ceilings, his fingers glided over the keys of his piano, pulling crescendos and decrescendos that merged perfectly into each other to form an enthralling symphony to an audience of none.

But no matter how beautiful it sounded, Lucifer’s heart wasn’t in it. It had wandered off along with his mind to memories far, far away, leaving only muscle memory to fill the deafening silence that would otherwise threaten to consume him.

His thoughts were trapped somewhere between quiet pine tree farms and alluring Christmas markets, the relief of seeing Yeshua once again and a kiss in his library, in waking up with his Detective on the couch, tangled in each other. The one memory his mind drifted off to any second Lucifer could spare.

Lately, life had given him much to think about, memories he came to cherish and now kept close to his heart. New experiences that he would’ve never even thought to try, traditions that had grown to include him, that had made him wish could be his own as well.

Lucifer wasn’t sure how he’d gotten roped up in helping the Detective and her spawn for Christmas. While he’d enjoyed the consumerism and the debauched version of the holiday, the family part always left him… feeling lonely. So, it had been easier to just ignore the bloody thing altogether and pretend he hated it on the principle of Jesus not even being born in December, and don’t let him even get started on bloody _Santa_ -

But. He was glad he had had the chance to experience it from another angle, with the two humans that made even the Devil feel at home. At long last, at a place he belonged.

Deep in his thoughts, Lucifer only noticed Maze approaching when she was already up in his face, a displeased snarl coloring her features.

“There’s another letter for you.” She announced as she dropped it on top of the piano as if it had burned her, before she turned around on her heels and disappeared in some dark corner in the club.

Lucifer snorted at the offending piece of paper but reached for it anyway, mentally cursing both himself for being so stupid and Jack, the mailman, for forgetting one of his letters, thus making him return to the mall only _two_ days away from Christmas to get another bloody present to a spawn _he didn’t even know_.

But needs must. The spawn had written for Satan, and Lucifer would be damned again if he let an imaginary red man best him at anything. He was honestly not sure why he even bothered going to the worst place in the world during holiday season for a _random child_ , or why the idea of giving gifts to children that couldn’t even owe him back didn’t disgust him immediately.

Eager to escape such unscrupulous thoughts, Lucifer ripped open the forgotten letter, all the while cursing himself for being so pathetic and preparing himself mentally to be assaulted with more terrible examples of handwriting and outrageous requests. Only, what he found inside this time was a drawing, not a letter.

Lucifer took pause as he examined the terrible drawing style, the precise care to color only inside the lines, the questionable stick figures in the center. A style he recognized. The same one that filled the hall in the Detective’s apartment.

Beatrice’s style.

He wasn’t surprised to recognize the three figures occupying most of the space – a smaller one with pigtails, holding hands with a blonde woman with striking blue eyes and a red man with a black outfit and white blobs behind its back that Lucifer unfortunately recognized as himself.

Against his better judgement, he smiled at the present, his own Christmas present in the form of a letter and folded it carefully to be stored inside the envelope until he could hang it on his fridge as the Detective often did with the ones her spawn bestowed upon her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so what do you think about jesus? XD


	4. Chapter 4

Thursday, December 24th

Despite the hectic energy that had taken over his Detective as the day drew closer, Christmas Eve preparations had been a quiet affair if he said so himself.

For once, Lucifer had gone to bed early the night before, with the promise of being at her house first thing in the morning to help with the food. Between the two of them, they managed long cooked meats and deserts with only mild strains, even if it had taken them both most of the day to get everything ready to the finishing touches for just before dinner time.

Their rhythm eased up as the sun progressed in the sky, with a quiet sense of comfort settling in between them as the late afternoon swooped in. Lucifer was especially delighted in the way the Detective had seemed to loosen up around him, her hands freer as they found his arms and back every chance she got.

He refused to acknowledge how happy it all made him feel, though by the looks she’d sent him all day, he was sure he hadn’t been able to school him reactions as well as he’d thought. 

It all had been going so well that a fleeting, naive part of his mind had made Lucifer think he was back in Heaven again, bathing in the grace of being home. At least he’d felt like that before the Detective all but kicked him out with a quick kiss and soft-spoken words about needing time to get ready for the night. He’d been so stunned that he’d just stood outside her door for a full minute, fingers touching his lips where she’d kissed him, dumbly staring at the closed door.

Lucifer had made his way home with a smile and a newfound spring to his step, the promise of more moments like those to come bringing a long lost light back into his soul.

Following the Detective’s advice and knowing his own tendencies of taking too long in the bathroom, he started getting ready himself the moment he stepped out of the elevator, and Lucifer was proud to say it had only taken about forty minutes to sort out his hair. Choosing his suit, though, had been another matter entirely.

There were just too many options. Should he choose something with a little more resemblance to the festivities? Should he match the Detective’s outfit? How was he supposed to know what color she was going for that night?

Would Prada be too obvious a choice? To cliché? Should he go for a two piece? Three piece? Something more… _‘casual’_?

In the end, after much agonizing, he’d decided for his favorite maroon suit and the grey shirt he knew the Detective favored. After all, there was only one man that could pull off a reddish outfit, and it was definitely Satan, not Santa.

Moonlight found him speeding his corvette towards Venice beach only half an hour later, making him officially fashionably late. A chill ran down his spine and anxiety settled over his stomach as the minutes brough him closer and closer to his destination, until he’d parked outside the Detective’s apartment, and anticipation made something in him twist.

Light bled through the tinted windows into the night, a soft undercurrent of laughter following along that set Lucifer’s soul at rest. He let out a satisfied sigh as he made his way to the front door, barely managing to balance the pile of presents he’d bought for his friends, trusting he knew the layout to the door well enough because he couldn’t see past the tower of wrapped goods.

It was a close call as he reached out for the door handle, his eyes immediately settling in the scene in front of him as he tried to make his way inside without dropping anything. He could see his Detective working around the kitchen, putting on the finishing touches on dinner as Daniel hovered over her shoulder, delivering baseless opinions about the food no less. 

The Doctor was just off to the side at the table, trying to quiet the latest feud between Amenadiel and Maze, who looked like she’d rather be anywhere else in the world in that moment. He could also see Ms. Lopez on the living room, playing some colorful game about some space rock ladies with Beatrice, who lit up like the Christmas tree behind her when she noticed him coming in.

“Merry Christmas, _Luciferrrrr!_ ” She yelled as she rushed on her way to attack his legs, almost making him drop his pile of gifts.

“Ah yes, hello, Urchin.”

“What took you so long?” She asked as she clung to him, making him drag her across the apartment on his way to the tree to deposit his superiorly wrapped presents with the others. “Is the biggest one mine? Is it? Is it?”

Of course, it was. He could hardly imagine anyone else in the room would appreciate a Lego set of the bloody magic school castle from the wizard stories the Detective read to her offspring before bed. Though, now that he thought better of it, he could see Ms. Lopez being interested by it. Should he have gotten her the same thing as the urchin? 

“I thought all of your presents were to come from Mr. Claus?” He asked instead, gracefully getting up from positioning his presents as he surreptitiously checked his jacket pocket to make sure the Detective’s present was still safely stored there.

“Yeah, but… you can get them, too…” Beatrice trailed off, her eyes expectant on his, but that look had no effect on him.

None whatsoever.

Lucifer rose an eyebrow at her, an incredulous smirk taking over his features. But his focus was quickly stolen away as the Detective approached them, her eyes bright in the soft light, looking especially beautiful in a dark forest green sweater that made the gold in her hair shine like pure light.

“Hey.” She said as she stepped up close to his side, resting her hand on his waist as she pressed a quick, soft kiss to his cheek. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, love.”

* * *

Friday, December 25th 

“Can we open the presents now?” The spawn immediately pleaded as the clock struck midnight, declaring the last day of celebrations had just begun.

Lucifer swallowed dry as he tried to ignore that nagging feeling at the back of his throat, that sense of loss he couldn’t quite understand. Christmas was still very much far from over from the looks of it, with him quietly sitting at the dinner table, the Detective’s hand clasped in his, as he enjoyed a quiet moment with the humans he’d grown so close to.

Humans he’d never even imagined caring about. His friends.

He’d never had those before the Detective, much like most of the good things he now had in his life.

Lucifer let out a happy sigh, taking another look around the table, the sight making his insides settle with ease. At first, he hadn’t been too sure about this, the _family_ side of Christmas.

Debauchery and consumerism had always been more up his court. But now having experienced it, he couldn’t imagine going back to spending the festivities at Lux alone, trying to pretend he wasn’t affected by the societal lunacy surrounding the date. That it had been his choice to spend the days alone.

Now, Lucifer found himself yearning for it, the strange traditions and the company, having finally understood the appeal of it all. It was only a pity that it was almost over.

Realization came with a strange feeling nagging in the back of his throat, a latent desire of not wanting for this to pass. A want to always be there, where he was happy at long last. And yet, Lucifer knew, even as December drew to a close, the new year came with a promise of another Christmas like this. Another year of shopping for a tree, getting lost in piles and piles of decorations and baking cookies. Maybe seeing his brother again.

Though he could definitely do without the Christmas concert and the visit at the mall.

This year’s celebrations weren’t over just yet, though, as it was clear by the spawn hanging onto the Detective’s side, trying to rush the whole process along. He could understand her tactic at least. Prolonged contact with those sticky hands would’ve made him cave in pretty easily himself.

“Wait until daddy’s finished eating first, monkey.” The Detective said instead, making her daughter groan in protest.

“But he always takes so long every year! And it’s already midnight!”

“Trixie.” Her tone was stern, but somehow still soft, extinguishing whatever last flicker of rebelliousness had sparked to life inside the urchin.

“Fine.” The child sighed, keeping the most impressive pout as she sided up to her father, her eyes expectant as she watched him eat. An exasperated sigh left her every time Daniel cut his food into smaller bits, making a show of it, each time taking a couple more seconds to chew.

The second he was done, though, Beatrice ran off towards the tree, yelping. Lucifer could almost feel the excitement buzzing off of her in waves as she stood in front of the presents, trying to keep herself from jumping into them just yet.

Her eagerness attracted the adults still milling about the table, now relocating to the living room to partake in the last bit of tradition before it was all officially over.

Lucifer tried to remain impassive, to hide the delight taking over his soul as his Detective reached for his hand to pull him along with her to the couch, sitting as close to him as she could while still being able to write anything off as an attempt at making room for everyone else to sit.

He’d tried to tamper down his bliss as she leaned into him, as he stretched his arm behind her on the couch, as her warmth spread through his side and into his soul. Though, by the excited looks Ms. Lopez kept sending his way, coupled with Dr. Linda’s approving glance, he wasn’t hiding it all too well.

“Go on, monkey.” The Detective said as all their friends settled down, allowing her daughter to jump straight onto the pile of gift beneath the tree, reaching out for the biggest ones straight away.

For most of it, Lucifer was glad to simply watch, enjoying the happiness that lit up the Detective when Beatrice gave her gift to her mother, though he could hardly understand the appeal of handcrafted coasters.

Even still, that same joy he felt had infected the entire living room, though at a much more smothering way, as the child distributed gift by gift from beneath the tree, watching intently as their recipients opened them up. Halfway through, he found himself smiling as he watched the exchanges, though he could quite figure out why.

“Lucifer, can I do yours too?” Beatrice asked, that pleading look of hers taking over her eyes as she slowly sided up to the biggest box that had ever passed beneath that tree, the one she’d been bugging him about ever since he’d arrived.

He gave her a curt nod, watching amused as she dived towards the presents, squealing when it turned out the biggest box was indeed hers. It was almost terrifying, the speed with which the urchin tore through the wrapping paper, her eyes lighting up when the contents of her gift were known.

_“A HOGWARTS LEGO SET!”_ She yelled in delight, barely giving him half a second to prepare as before she was on the move, dashing to jump him. Lucifer grunted as Beatrice’s knee hit his stomach, sitting absolutely petrified as the child wrapped her arms around, him and he waited for the unpleasantness to pass. “ _Thank you, thank you, thank you!_ ” She kept on repeating before the present stole her focus away, and just like that, she was off again.

“That thing’s _huge_.” The Detective whispered to him, her eyes wide for an entirely different reason than her daughter’s as she found she couldn’t stop looking at the box.

“Oh, darling.” Lucifer whispered back, his tone dripping with delight as he nosed behind her ear, making a shiver run down her spine as her focus turned back to him. “I’m so looking forward to hearing you say that later.”

His comment made her snort, her hand reaching out to smack him in the chest as she tried to remain stern while an amused smile betrayed her wants. Her happy stance made him smile in return, made him giddy to have her eyes back at him, her delight brought forth because of him.

Those conflicting, confusing thoughts all came to the same conclusion, making the small box stored safely in his breast pocket burn his skin through the many layers of his suit. The perfect way to make her look at him that way, to watch as her eyes lit up, her soul was set ablaze with care. Lucifer just had to wait for the perfect moment.

“Why don’t you do that one now, monkey?” The Detective suggested before he could make up his mind, pointing to one of the bigger presents left, making Lucifer sigh as he prepared himself for more squealing and more hugging from the child.

“From Mom to Lucifer.” Beatrice read instead, her eyes expectant as they turned his way, surprise chilling him down to his bones until he froze in place.

Lucifer could see her coming his way, hear her steps, feel the weight of the collective gaze as all attention turned to him. But being aware of something and processing it were two very different tasks, and his brain had only been capable of accomplishing the first.

And so, he simply stood there as she offered it to him, strangely silent for the first time in his life. He just couldn’t seem to form words. He couldn’t look away, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t react because his focus had all been commanded into one place, inside, where a wave of feelings, incomprehensive in its enormity, overcame his own sense of self.

“I…” Lucifer staggered, unsure of what he meant to say but unable to stay quiet for any longer.

His eyes trailed to the Detective as he accepted the gift, care and hurt dividing the space in her gaze. The weight of the present on his lap soon attracted his eyes back, and Lucifer simply stared at it, too stunned to process.

“I…” He tried again, feeling warmth and surety spreading through him as the Detective reached out to cover his hand with hers. The gesture attracted his eyes back up, finding her gaze free and safe, clear as what he could only call affection bled out of her.

Despite being familiar with the tradition, of buying presents himself, of watching as his friends all around him opened and exchanged theirs… Lucifer hadn’t expected to be getting one as well.

Too many years of being alone perhaps, of being overlooked. Of being thought of only because he was the only one able to make the rarest of desires come true. Always the giver, the provider, the tool.

Never considered, never remembered. Never treated as a person.

Of course, his Detective would be the one, the first person in all of existence, to think of him.

He shone her a small, vulnerable smile as his eyes fell back to the present sitting on his lap as emotions ran unbridled inside him, scraping his walls raw until they crumbled at his feet. He was overwhelmed, fully happy for the first time in so long, too long, and he couldn’t seem to control it.

Lucifer reached for the wrapping paper with shaking, reverent fingers, slowly peeling it away to reveal a case. A violin, judging by the size. He reached for the zippers, the sound of metal sliding open loud in the otherwise quiet living room, filled with expectation as all eyes focus on the gift.

What the case revealed made him gasp.

It was indeed a violin, a model he was familiar with, known by its quality. Light reflected in the vintage varnish finishing, highlighting the old spruce of the instrument, perfect in every way. His touch was careful as Lucifer picked it up, turning it this way and that as his trained eye inspected the usuals, recognizing it for the talented work it was.

His hands smoothed down the curves of the instrument, familiarizing with the patterns of the wood, until his finger pads ran over a pronounced marking, immediately attracting his focus to it. Deft hands quickly turned the violin around, allowing for his eyes to meet two engraved initials. ‘JD’.

_John Decker._

His eyes grew round as Lucifer instantly recognized the importance of the item he had in his hands, the weight of what it must mean to the perfect human sitting by his side.

“I- Chloe, I can’t…” He turned his gaze to meet hers, his grip barely touching the instrument as he carefully placed it back in its case, afraid his mere touch would damage the Detective’s memories.

“Please. I want you to have it.” Her voice was soft, her eyes clear when they met his, her hand warm as it reached to cover his once again. “Just don’t break this one on Amenadiel’s head.” The Detective remarked, a happy grin lighting up her features.

Her response made him huff in return, his eyes falling back to the violin, the knowledge that she trusted him enough to offer it to him lifting a weight from his soul Lucifer had never noticed was there.

“And this is from me!” Beatrice said, suddenly appearing in his field of vision with a smaller parcel, cutting his musing short.

He was quicker to react this time, immediately accepting the gift, even as his fingers were still careful not to tear the wrapping in any way. Lucifer smiled, amused, as he stared at a new set of violin chords and a tuner, handily positioned inside a dark wooden box.

“Thank you. Truly.” His words struggled to work past the lump in his throat as he felt the truth in them down to his soul. He swallowed down the overflow of feelings as he slowly reached for the small black box still safely inside his breast pocket. “Well, I suppose now is as good time as any.”

His eyes were soft at they stared into the depth of hers, watching his Detective’s gaze grow wide as she accepted the box. Lucifer could hear breath catching and feel the wonder in her eyes as she opened the box and gasped.

“What is it?” Chloe asked as she watched the light dancing on the gem, darker than the night sky. Her fingers were gentle as she took the necklace from the box, the diffuse lighting in the room making it glow with a gentle light.

“A star.” Lucifer said, his own eyes catching on the irregular surfaces of the stone, dark like the night sky where it was created to be, catching in the light like it was its own. “Well, the beginnings of one at least, pressured into a gem.”

He met her eyes, a gentle smile pulling at his lips as he contemplated the wonder filling her gaze, that same warmth from before flooding his chest.

“What- how?” The Detective staggered, the incredulous surprise in her blue irises amusing him to no end.

“Well, I did create them all.”

A beat of silence stretched on all around the living room as his words settled in. 

_“Wow.”_ It was all anyone seemed able to say, the words falling out from the Detective’s lips as something soft took over her features, a small smile growing in her face as she handed him the necklace. “Would you?”

Lucifer took it from her as she turned around, before slowly sweeping her hair to the side, his fingertips trailing over her nape. He made quick work with the clasp, smoothing the pad of his thumb over the dark chain as he finished, delighting himself in the way his touch made a chill run down Chloe’s spine.

He smiled as she turned around, something gentle fluttering inside him as she crowded his space, placing a soft kiss ion his cheek.

“Thank you.” She said, her eyes boring deep in his. “I love it.”

Lucifer could feel his own joy settling in his soul as Chloe turned around and leaned back into his side, her eyes back to the gift giving still going on, her hands often reaching for the tiny star clasped around her neck.

“Oh, there’s one more for you.” The Child said when the tree was left barren, hopping towards him with a mischievous grin he knew all too well, having stared at it in the mirror many a time before.

“Oh?” Lucifer hummed, a giddy sort of happiness bubbling inside him as he reached for the oddly shaped present, his heart skipping a beat as he added another gift to his pile. Though, when he opened it, he felt a sarcastic smile growing on his face. “Oh, really funny, spawn.” He quipped, pinching the tiny foam horns on the red headband, the most cliché thing he’d ever received.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Chloe said, leaning into his side, nuzzling the side of his face like he’d done before. “Might be fun.”

* * *

The moonlight was weak that night, only a hint of silver, just enough to highlight Lucifer’s outline as he stood outside on the porch casually leaning onto the post, his eyes lost somewhere in the night sky.

Chloe carefully opened the back door to join him, balancing the little pile of cookies she’d taken from the plate Trixie had set for Santa in her room after placing the last present there for her daughter to find in the morning, leaving her tiny detective some crumbles to put together and believe, at least for one more year, that Santa had truly come. 

Chloe shook her head as she stepped beside Lucifer on the porch, leaning slightly into his side to soak up some of his warmth as she munched on her cookie.

“I thought the child was adamant the remaining cookies were meant for _Santa_?” He asked, his voice deep like the night sky behind him, prickled with tiny stars like the ones that lit up his eyes.

He reached out to pull her closer, wrapping one of his arms around her waist as he leaned his back on the column nearby. Chloe allowed herself to melt into him, settling between Lucifer’s legs and wrapping her free arm around his waist, all the while trying not to smile too much at having him initiate contact between them for once.

“And who do you think is Santa?” She remarked, feeling Lucifer’s responding chuckles reverberating through his chest, filling her soul with a content kind of peace. “I need to leave Trixie some evidence that Santa was really here, so. Cookies.” Chloe said as she offered him her little pile, loving the amusement that lit up his eyes.

“Well, don’t mind if I do.”

Between the two of them, the little chocolate chip pile of sugar was consumed in no time, freeing Chloe’s other arm to sneak around Lucifer’s waist, wrapping herself as tightly around him as she could. For so long, she had craved this, had dreamed of this with him. Of them. And now that it was right in her grasp, Chloe wouldn’t let all those times she’d wanted to hug him, or kiss him, or just be there with him, fly right past her again.

“There’s one more tradition we haven’t done yet, actually.” She said as she pulled back just enough to meet Lucifer’s eyes, fighting back the butterflies in her stomach as she lost herself in his gaze.

“Oh?” He asked, a playful smirk pulling his features in that charming way of his.

Chloe reached for the little branch she’d kept in her back pocket all day, always waiting for the right time to bring it out. The leaves were mostly worn out and wrinkled by then, but they still made her heartbeats skip as Lucifer’s eyes focused on it. His smile softened as his gaze met hers, recognition making him light up.

“My dad always used to carry some mistletoe around with him on Christmas night, always surprising my mom and I, demanding kisses.” Chloe shared as she held the tiny branch over them, that same warmth in her soul mirrored in his smile.

“Well, it is tradition.” He smirked as he leaned down to kiss her, his lips soft as they touched hers. Their tongues met and Chloe moaned, tasting chocolate and peppermint from all the candy canes Lucifer had practically inhaled all night.

She felt him smiling into her lips as they pulled away for air. Chloe ran her nose along his and placed a peck on his lips before she wrapped her arms around him and melted into him, nuzzling into Lucifer’s chest.

His fingers reached for that little branch of mistletoe she was still holding, and he carefully brought it up to examine it. She could see the wrinkles in his brow, the little tilt in his head that was always so endearing, before the curiosity cleared from his dark eyes and he pocketed the branch.

His eyes met hers and Lucifer offered her an easy smile, not at all bothered by the questioning look in her gaze.

“I assume this particular tradition lasts until the end of the month, yes?” He asked, his features open even as mischief lit up his gaze and his playful smile warmed her soul.

Chloe smiled back as she connected the dots, realizing what he intended with a pocket filled with mistletoe just waiting to be hung around, and she couldn’t help but tease him back for it.

“Maybe this time you’ll actually manage to get me under one of those.” She snickered, her smile growing even wider at his startled look. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you trying to lure me under the ones at the precinct. You’re not really sneaky, you know.”

Lucifer’s sudden laugh filled the clear night with ease, and in that moment, Chloe fell just that little bit more in love with him.

“Can you stay?” She asked, the hesitation in her voice calling from something more.

His expression cleared as he looked into her eyes, one of his hands raising to cup her cheek and pull her closer, running his nose along hers. “Always, love.”

“Don’t be surprised when you wake up tomorrow with Trixie jumping on the bed with us with her present.” 

Lucifer smiled at her, warm and endearing, for once choosing not to add onto his pretended distaste for her daughter, but something in her face betrayed her peaceful stance, making his brows furrowed in turn.

“What is it, darling?” He asked.

“It’s just… she’s so big now.” Chloe whispered as she hugged him tighter, hiding herself into his chest for a moment, just enough so her fears didn’t seem overbearing in her soul. “I can’t help wondering if this will be the last time Trixie will want to do this. She’s outgrown so much already.”

She felt the warmth from his palm as Lucifer cupped the back of her neck, pulling her as close to him as he could. Never in her life had Chloe felt as safe as she did with Lucifer.

“I’m- I… I don’t know much about- I never had-” He breathed out, annoyed at himself as he struggled with his words. 

It was her turn to cup his cheek, give him back some of the strength he always seemed to stir in her, and she could practically feel him relaxing under her palm. 

“My Mother was never like… like you.” Lucifer’s voice trembled as he spoke, the glint in his eyes more pained than the soft brown she was used to, but raw in a way she knew he only allowed himself to be with her. “The urchin is really lucky to have you, darling.”

“You have me, too, you know?” She pulled him closer, threading her hand through his hair and resting her forehead on his. As much as she dreaded Trixie’s impending teenage years, Chloe knew she couldn’t have asked for a better daughter than her monkey. And now that she had Lucifer, too, Chloe just had a feeling that everything would be alright.

“Daniel will be taking Beatrice tomorrow, won’t he?”

“Yeah. He has her until Sunday morning.”

“Well, then.” Lucifer shone her a suggestive smirk, that cheeky grin of his that had always made her heart skip a beat, and Chloe couldn’t help the excitement that bubbled into life inside her. An excitement that for the first time since she’d met him, she wouldn’t have to school back into control. “Ho-ho-ho, indeed.”

She snarked at his terrible pun but pulled him closer all the same. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her and her legs around his waist when he picked her up and they disappeared into her bedroom upstairs.

Maybe now they could start to make their own traditions together.

* * *

Her room was still dark when she next opened her eyes, with just that little bit of light from the streetlamp outside sneaking in where Trixie hadn’t bothered closing the blinds all the way in. She swallowed dry, feeling thirsty.

Maybe eating all those cookies right before going to bed hadn’t been a really good idea like Mommy had told her, but they were _chocolate_ cookies. The ones she and her Mommy and Lucifer had backed together in his kitchen and that had been so fun. And they were _chocolate_ cookies. She couldn’t ever refuse those.

Santa would understand.

Trixie slowly climbed out of her bed to go get a glass of water in the kitchen as silently as she could not to wake Mommy. Her eyes skimmed through her room as she went, and she almost squealed as she noticed the present lying by her door and the half-eaten cookies and milk on her dresser where she’d left them for Santa.

She rushed to it, already thinking of all the ways she could justify grabbing the huge box and running outside to wake Mommy so they could open it now. But her steps slowed as Trixie neared it, and she accepted that Mommy probably wouldn’t even let her open it, and she would be too tired to play with it, anyway. Not that Mommy would even let her stay up so late.

And she liked that she got to sleep with Mommy for a while on Christmas morning before she helped her build whatever it was that Santa had given her.

Focusing back on her quest to get a glass of water, Trixie slowly inched closer to her door, opening it slowly so the wood wouldn’t creak. Most of the lights in the living room were out, but the tree was still on, and she took a second to watch how beautiful it was.

Decorating the tree had always been her second favorite part of Christmas. Daddy had never really helped Mommy and her to do it, and after her parents split up, Trixie had somewhat lost interest in it. It just wasn’t the same.

But this year had been the _best_ because Lucifer had joined Mommy and her. He’d helped them pick the tree and decorate it, he’d bought her cinnamon rolls and chocolate, he’d gone ice skating with them. He’d even gone to her school’s recital. 

Sure, he might’ve complained at first, but Trixie knew it was all for show, and that he actually enjoyed it and wanted to help. She missed the time her Mommy was happy all the time, and when Lucifer was around, she was.

Trixie’s eyes slowly scanned the living room, making sure that it was okay to leave her room, but as her eyes strayed to the porch outside, her smile got so big it hurt. Because Mommy and Lucifer were outside, barely visible in the low light, but they looked really happy. They were standing really, really close, and then Mommy leaned in and kissed Lucifer, and Trixie almost burst out from happiness.

She wanted to squeal and run outside and hug them and ask Lucifer if he’d be her new daddy now just to watch the panic in his face and her Mommy laughing with her. This had been her dream for so long, two past Christmases now that she asked Santa for her Mom and Lucifer to be happy together and he’d _finally_ delivered!

Not that she had ever doubted _Santa_ , but it had taken him a while and Trixie might’ve thought it was one of the gifts not even he could deliver.

But it didn’t matter anymore because it was finally happening. Mommy was still kissing Lucifer outside, looking all too happy like she always did in Trixie’s memories. She smiled at them one last time in the dark and softly closed the door.

As much as she liked happy endings, all the kissing was….

_Ugh._

She tried not to think about what that might feel like or how gross it must be. All the grown-ups seemed to like it, but adults were weird. The older kids at her school always seemed to be sneaking around to try it, though, and even the princesses in her movies didn’t escape it, so maybe it wasn’t as weird as Trixie thought. She still thought it was gross but.

She liked it when Mommy kissed her cheek anyway. 

She was almost back at her bed when she realized she was still thirsty. Trixie turned around, her eyes immediately falling on the milk and the rest of the cookies Santa hadn’t eaten, and… why not?

He must’ve been full already, after all, so she was sure he wouldn’t mind.

Trixie licked the last of the cookie crumbs from her fingers as she laid in her bed, thinking about the two gifts Santa had given her this year until she fell back asleep.

Best Christmas ever.

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for this! especially those who took some time to give kudos and comment.
> 
> merry christmas to those who celebrate! stay home and stay safe!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading <3  
> Comments and kudos highly appreciated.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @thiefintheshadowsyo! i don't really post, but you can come by and say hi!


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